Tears Dry On Their Own
by Sassberry
Summary: Three High School Girls Fight For The Hearts of Three College Men. No Matter What Comes In Between Them, They Are determined to live happily ever after. Can they all fufill their wish for happiness?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I am not following the story line. Some couples are couples & some others are not. I do not own Grey's anatomy nor do I own the copyright. Thank you & Enjoy.**

The alarm went off.

At first, Meredith's body was still, as if there was no life within it. Her eyes twitched open & cracking as they did was the crust at the corner of her eye socket. She groaned as she sat up with a hunch in her back and slammed the alarm off. For a moment, she scratched her head and stared at her feet. Endlessly in her mind were thoughts of her senior year, and how awful they could be.

See, Meredith had grasped onto the wisdom of calming down... now. Her freshman year, she was caught stealing a computer, and sophomore year she burned her high school gym down. Junior year, she realized her dilemma and studied to catch up for senior year. This year. She just wanted to be done with school, and crawl underneath a rock.

She peeled the crust off of her eyes and childishly groaned. She dragged her feet onto the fauz laminated wood floor. She extended her arm and reached for the door. "First day of school always sucks," she mumbled, "Suck. Suck. Suck!"

Across the hallway, slept her sister. In order for her to wake up, a fast tempo Taylor Swift ring tone went off. Lexie woke up with a smile on her face as she usually did. Unlike Meredith, Lexie didn't have to try hard to get anywhere. She's always had a good set of friends & studied a lot. Between them both, there was always a competition. Meredith seemed to have always work twice as hard as Lexie. & Before their mother died, she was often praised for the things she did. Almost as if Lexie were the Oldest sibling.

As Lexie opened her bedroom door, she saw that Meredith opened hers as well. This looked like a scene that came out of a western film. Both of their legs were shoulder width apart and their hands were balled up into fists. They stared at each other intently.

"You don't want to do this," Lexi said deepening her voice a little to make it sound firm. Her knees shook at the fear of Meredith.

Meredith jerked her head an inch to the side, "Do what?"

"Don't do this Mer," She said as they both walked toward the end of the hall slowly. "Do you remember what you said last night?"

They sprinted toward the end of the hall which turned into running, frantically Lexie responded, "We agreed that since I take less time I would use the bathroom first. You signed a contract!"

Meredith stopped in her tracks before heading downstairs and paused. So did Lexie. "You're right," She said, "I said I'd let you use the bathroom."

Lexie closed her eyes, sighed and smiled. "Thank you."

They both chuckled. They both felt that this was an awkward moment. The tension spoke into words as, '_So do you move, or do I move first?'_

Meredith chewed on the corner of her lip as she eyed Lexie from the side. "...That's if you get their first!" she said before shooting down the stairs. Lexie ran after her. Meredith in the lead, out running her sister, ran down the stairs & Lexie coming in second. They continue running as Lexie whines behind her telling Meredith that she signed a contract. Lexie wanted to jump in the hair and tackle her sister like they do in the movies. She knew she had only one chance to do it, so she runs faster and jumps in the air, only to miss by an inch and grab onto only her foot. As Lexie holds onto Meredith's ankle, Meredith drags her along to the front of the bathroom. Frantically, between the shrieking and the biting, Meredith has to find a way to make Lexie let go. She grabbed the door and threatened to slam it on her fingers. With no hesitation, Lexie let go of her ankle.

Lexie lied on the floor upset. Meredith hearing the silence which was her sister, prepared herself for the madness that ensued. _'Three," _She said to herself, _"Two... One." _ Exactly at that time, Lexie began to bang and kick on the floor, like a four year old who wanted candy. "It's not fair," Lexie shrieked, "I was supposed to go first!"

"Yeah well," Meredith says in one breath, "You snooze, you lose." She quickly shuts the door and locks it behind her. Lexie gets up from the floor & winces as she bangs her head against the door. She takes a step away from the door, only to come back holding the frame of the door, "But I slowed you down right!"

"Whatever helps you sleep tonight, Lexie," she responded as she turned on the faucet. .

An hour later, and an even more frantic Lexie, they both leave the house. Meredith pulls out the car keys and glances at her sister. "Remember Lexie, don't forget to breathe." Lexie nods her head and

counts to ten, inhaling and exhaling. They get in the car and Meredith stops for a minute. She hears her sister click the seat-belt on and set her bag on the floor. She grasps the steering wheel and take a deep breath herself. She turns the ignition on, and put the car in drive. As the mph increases, so does her heart rate.

The car ride was quiet. Lexie seen the transition her sister went through. Ever since their mother died, Meredith became the mother. Lexie saw how irresponsible she was, and how quickly she changed. She saw how hard it was for her sister to be the sensible one. Lexie can tell that the smallest thing could set her sister off and she'll shut down and be the way she used to be before. Although she wants her sister to be herself, she likes the responsible person she's lived with for two years. But even with that, she's still afraid of her. "Are you ready for the first day of school?"

"Am I ever," Meredith said Coldly. Not even looking at her.

"No," she responded meekly.

"Then why would you ask Lexie," she snapped.

"...I Just figured things would change.," she stammered through. "...Y-you know, you should always be open to change."

She scoffed, "Change doesn't happen to me Lexie, you should know that. I live the same sucky life I've lived since I was born. My Childhood sucked. Mom gave me sucktastic hobbies, like stamp collecting?Who in their right mind likes stamp collecting – I mean unless you wear depends and Hawaiian shirts & live in a nursing home. My freshman year sucked. I got my period while doing the Christmas play which, my character was supposed to wear a white pants & then later that week got caught stealing a computer! Sophomore year sucked because I burned down the school gym and because of that my sophomore and junior year sucked because I couldn't walk for almost a year! & my ex-boyfriends, which I might add, have all been sucky at one point or another sucked a horrible amount of suckiness. So please, excuse me Lexie, if I feel like my senior year is going to be nothing but a horrible suck fest!"

"Okay, Okay! You didn't have to go midlife crisis on me," She said moving around in the passenger seat, uncomfortably. "I just thought you needed positivity in your life right now. I do want the best for you Mer."

Meredith looked at Lexie from the corner of her eye, and sighed. She grasped the steering wheel tighter and moved around in her seat. "Thank you Lexie... Don't get me wrong. I have probably had a sucky life, but you are the best thing that's happened to me. I'm glad you're my perfect little sister."

Lexie smiled as Meredith parked the car. They both got out of the car and smiled at each other. They walked toward the door until something caught Meredith's eye. She stopped toward the walkway to the school and saw something leather on the floor. She found a wallet and examined the outside. With Curiosity she opened it to find a drivers license and a credit card and what seemed to be 5 ten dollar bills in it. She looked around and noticed no one was around. She put it in her backpack and walked along with Lexie.

She smiled as she looked at her older sister. "Still think it's a sucky year?"

Meredith sighed & pulled the door open for her sister. "...More sucky than it's ever been."

The fifth bell rang later that day, which meant it was time for lunch. Meredith, being the closest to the door, was the first one out. She hated her classes and the people inside of them. They all saw her as this reformed bad girl, and she knew they spoke about her but she didn't mind. She learned how to paint a smile on her face. Even though she and her mother had a rough patch, and she can't remember much, her mother taught her how to cover your feelings in public & for that Meredith had been forever grateful.

As she thought about her mother her friend, Izzie, walked next to her. She stared at Meredith with a big smile on her face.

Not even looking at Izzie she said, "Izzie, if you keep smiling like that, I'll punch your teeth in."

Izzie laughed and hugged her. "How's your morning so far?"

"Four years. Four years Izzie, and you continue to ask me the same question. Why? WHY!"

"Because I'm hoping one day you'll say something different. So is today something different!"

She looked at her for a brief second, "No. It's sucky."

"Aw well, one day you'll be happy. Just think positive not negative."

"Yeah, yeah yeah. I'm just the negative Nancy aren't I?"

They walked through the lunch room, to walk outside to the school's 'lunch garden' & sat with her four friends. Across her way she saw her sister and partially smiled and Lexie smiled in return. As Meredith sat down at the table she caught her best friend in a conversation.

"...I mean I don't know why he has to be such a baby about it. He was just over exaggerating."

"He wasn't exaggerating," Alex said, "you made him cry."

"What I miss," Meredith asked while grabbing an apple slice from Cristina's bowl.

Cristina & Alex argued for a few seconds on who would tell Meredith the story. Eventually Alex won.

"Cristina made Frank cry."

"Frank," she said shocked. "Like the Quarterback Frank?

"Yes."

"How was this possible?"

"She made fun of his lisp-"

"And the way that one piece of hair stands up -" George cut in.

"& The way he twitches sometimes when he lies - " Izzie did the same thing.

"But, I had a reason to," Cristina said.

Why is that," Meredith asked.

"He spit on me! So I broke his nose."

"Cristina," she said appalled.

"I fixed it right after," She whined.

"Even so, you don't go around breaking noses."

"Yeah well,: Cristina leaned back in her chair, "he had it coming."

On the other side of the lunch garden, sat Lexie and her two friends; Avery and April. April organized her fruits before she ate them and Avery stared romantically at Meredith's friends.

"Man... Cristina's hot," Avery said thinking to himself out loud.

In unison, April and Lexie said the word "ew" as if they were four years old avoiding cooties.

"What? She's feisty," he said innocently.

April leaned in and spoke quietly, "I heard she broke Franks nose today."

"That's my kind of gal. Aggressive."

April and Lexie looked at each other & then back at him, "Gal," they both said almost together.

"I was trying to sound a bit older. It didn't work, did it?"

"Nope," Lexie said.

"Not one bit," April, right after.

"Just face it," Lexie chuckled, "you're too young for her. Accept it and move on."

"She'll be mine. You guys wait and see," he said in a daze. Avery was a good boy. Being a good boy, he knew you don't always get your way. & he never did get his way. Since freshman year, he took once glance at Cristina and was hooked ever since. Every time he passed by her locker he would smile, and when she would be at her locker it would be just a bonus for her. Avery had many girlfriends, but none of them compared to Cristina. They all dumped him thinking he was cheating on them with another girl, but that was far beyond the case. His heart just belonged to another. He's written letters, and songs, and poems to her but never could send them to her, because he was too nervous. He tried speaking to her once, but all that came out was ingredients to a ham glaze. Avery was a good boy. But with being a good boy, came that he didn't have experience or cool points to be noticed by Cristina. But he knows soon enough, he will.

"Im hungry," Meredith said.

"How hungry can you be? You ate all my apples," Cristina responded.

"I know, but hey, I found this wallet today."

"How much was in it," Cristina asked.

"50 dollars."

Without hesitation Cristina said, "Spend it."

George seemed nervous, "Um...don't you think you should find out whose it is?"

"I already know the guys name. His name is Derek Sheppard, or something like that."

"So don't you think you should return it?"

"Don t listen to Mother Teresa over here," Cristina interrupted, "Spend it. Do you know how many Derek Sheppard's there probably are in Seattle? Just spend it then throw the wallet out after."

"I don't know. George is right. I should check, probably find him. I don't want things to happen to me later. You know how Karma is."

"Wait, Wait, Wait. You're taking advice from George," Izzie said surprised, "The one who burned the gym down with a light-bulb?"

"Could you shut up," meredith hissed, "the school doesn't know he did it!"

Izzie hackles and covers her mouth. Alex smiles at Izzie and directs his attention to Meredith. "This is what you do, Mer. You find him, and talk to him – but don't say anything about the wallet. If he seems like a prick, then keep it. If he's cool then give it back. Then karma goes around for everyone."

"Deal."

After the bell rang, she left the school. The scholastic frenzy surrounded Meredith, made her nervous every single time. She began shaking and looking down to try to avoid the thoughts that she had which made her believe that people hated her so much, that they would push and shove her purposely. While Meredith was having her little breakdown, she felt this hand tightly grasped her upper arm. She gasped and held her breath as she turned around only to see it was her younger sister.

Lexie laughed at her sister, "Jeez Mer, You're so shaky."

"Am not," she retaliated with an offended tone, "...I Just thought someone was going to steal the wallet I found."

Lexie smiled and asked, "are you going to spend it."

She looked at the wallet. "No, I'm going downtown to Seattle University to find this Sheppard guy."

"Oh, cool. Am I coming with you?"

"You don't have to," Meredith said innocently , "I think I'll be fine one my own."

Lexie nodded as if she understood, only until she realized she doesn't have a mode of transportation. "Um, Mer?"

"Yeah," she responded.

"Am I walking home then?"

Meredith then face palmed herself having realized she drove Lexie to school today.

"Right, I'm sorry." She handed her younger sister the car keys. With joy Lexie ran to the car, Meredith tailed behind her. Lexie got in the car and and turned the engine on. Lexie rolled down the windows only to give her sister thanks but before she could, her sister interrupted.

"Lexie?"

"Yeah," she answered innocently

"Remember you are have a permit and if you put one dent in my car, or even a scratch on my BMW, I will find out & poison your foods and all of your drinks." She then placed a fake smile on her face and walked away leaving Lexie with a frozen look of torture on her face. After two minutes of blacking out, Lexie put on her seat-belt and put the car in drive, only driving 10 miles per hour all the way home.

Meredith spent an hour and a half on the bus to do a good deed. As her stop approached she felt a slight tense in her back, it was difficult to move. The bus approached the stop and she got off.

'No good deed goes unpunished, eh?' She said to herself as she walked to the Main hall. 10 minutes later she finds the Main hall and goes to the secretary.

" Excuse me, I'm looking for Derek Sheppard," she said innocently.

The lady, seemed older...way older than Meredith was. She wore pointy framed glasses and seemed not to have a care in the world. With a raspy tone she said, "Wait in line."

"Excuse me?"

"I said wait in line. Girls have been coming here every day since he started his semester asking around for him. I bet you want some of his goodies too."

Meredith's face froze with a disgusted look. "...Goodies? Look ma'am I don't know what you are talking about but I just want to return something to him."

She chuckled a few times until it led to a disturbing cough, Meredith flinched. "I've heard that line before sweet heart. Try again."

She snapped. She slammed her hands, palm down on the desk. "Look ma'am. I have a 3.8 GPA average at Seattle grace High-school. SEATTLE. GRACE. HIGH-SCHOOL. Even someone like you would know where that is located. I have traveled here, on my own, on a BUS. I don't know who the hell this Derek Sheppard person is, but I can GUARANTEE you, that I will never be attracted to him, now point me in the direction of where he would be so I can give him his wallet and GO HOME."

The secretary stood quiet. She smirked and spoke quietly. "It's almost 4:30, he'll be getting out of his Psychology class. The first building on your right."

Meredith calmed down, "Thank you," she said taking a breath. "Now," she continued, "how will I know what he looks like?"

"When you see a perfect smile. You'll know it's him." The lady laughed hysterically.

Her faced seemed puzzled. She slowly walked backwards, "Okay? Thanks..." She walked out of the main hall. As she walked out, before the door closed, the secretary yelled "good luck."

Meredith began walking to the first building on the right. "I bet he's old," she said to herself. She began looking down focused on her feet. " I bet he has a scruffy beard and likes to eat cabbage or some weird crap like that." She held the wallet in her hand and began thinking about the secretary and how wrong she was going to be. "I bet he doesn't hav-"

She was side tracked by the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. She bumped into this man, this young man who completely took her breath away. She was mesmerized by his blue eyes and the way his lips curved into this perfect smile she had ever seen before. She stared into his eyes only to see red hair. The person next to him had red hair. Right then and there she knew that this was the man she was looking for. This was Derek Sheppard. When she came to the realization of who this was he spoke.

"Oh," he said in a surprising tone, "Hello."

He smiled once again.

"...Crap," the single word that came out of her mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

"Excuse me," he asked, "Did I miss something?"

"No," she responded agitated while avoiding eye contact, "No you did not."

"Oh okay," he said still being confused, but he didn't mind. See, he was amazed by this young girl. He looked at her and gazed at her evanescent beauty. She then looked at him in the face, & his breath was taken away. For a girl so young, she held herself as a woman, but he knew never to pursue her. The way she acted around him, for knowing him for such a little time, reminded him of his ex-girlfriend Addison. He just could not deal with dealing with an immense amount of rejection. He then continued, "Well, I am terribly sorry for bumping into you."

"Don't worry about it," she said, dazed.

He walked away, not looking back. He knew that if it was meant to be, she would call out to him. She would want to speak with him, and she would want to get to know him. Then his best friend spoke.

"She wants you man," Mark said.

"What is it with everyone having to _want_ a person. What ever happened to just getting to know someone?"

"Year 2000 happened. Man, wake up. I bet you in the next...Three seconds she's gonna be like," He then falsely impersonated a woman, " '_Oh sexy future lover, come sex me in the locker room._' I'm telling you man it's gonna happen."

Owen laughed, listening to the conversation.

"Okay one," Derek responded, "Don't ever do that voice again. It's disturbing. And two, she's young. She probably sees me as an old man. I don't think she'd wou-"

"Hey you," Meredith screamed, stopping Mark & Derek from their conversation. Owen, Mark & Derek all turned around. Derek then pointed to himself, asking if it was him she was speaking to.

"Yeah, You!"

Derek walked to her but quickly turned back only to see Mark mouth the words 'Locker room.' He then focused on Meredith.

"Yes," he asked.

"Is your name Derek Sheppard?"

The corners of his mouth went upward. "You've heard about me," he said egotistically.

Seriously Meredith responded, "No." The smile washed off his face immediately. She continued, "Were you at Seattle Grace High-School today?"

He became confused. He thought she was another spy, Addison got on him to make sure he wasn't with anyone. "Yes? How did you know where I was?"

"I didn't," she said taking his wallet out of her pocket, "You dropped this. I mean it's kind of weird that you haven't noticed your wallet was missing for about 8 hours. But you've probably been busy."

"My friend Callie works in the office over there. I spend lunch with her twice a week. You came all the way from Seattle Grace, to bring me back my wallet?"

"Yeah. Your money is still in there. You can check if you'd like."

He put his wallet in his pocket and stared in her eyes for a brief moment, and sincerely he said three words that Meredith never heard before. "I trust you."

She stared at him, unable to look away. She felt her body at ease. The tensity that she's had for so long just seemed to wash away as she looked at him. She was unable to speak, and he noticed this. He smiled and as he smiled Meredith felt to warm. She didn't feel _dark & twisty. _"I must go then," he said as he still smiled, "I'm going to be late to my next class."

"Okay. It was nice meeting you Derek."

"It was nice meeting you too, um..." he said realizing he never got her name.

She smiled & with this smile it blew him away, "Meredith. Meredith Grey."

He walked away to join his friends and Meredith stood there only to watch him walk away. She knew that this wasn't the last time she would be seeing him. She was, for once, hopeful. As she had this thought her phone vibrated. She picked up the phone without hesitation.

"Yeah," she answered.

"So? What happened," Lexie asked.

Meredith paused for a single moment. She smiled again before answering her sister.

"...I think I just met the man of my dreams."

The next day something was different. She woke up normal. No hatred towards school, she was just _fine_. The alarm clock went off and she turned it off immediately, she woke up early. She walked out of her room, ironically at the same time her sister did again. Without hesitation, Lexie ran to the bathroom.

"Oh no, not again," Lexie whined, "You signed a contract!"

Meredith made a long & peaceful sigh and smiled. Softly, she spoke, "You're right."

Lexie smiled but relaxed her lips when she remembered what happened yesterday morning. "Wait a minute. Is this a trick?"

Meredith walked back to her room, "Nope, but hurry up before I change my mind."

The day seemed to be going fine, and like the day before the fifth bell rang. This time something was different. It wasn't the scenery, it wasn't the teachers. It was _her. _She felt different. She felt as if a weight was just knocked off her shoulders, and she had never felt better. She didn't care about the people who walked around her, she didn't even care if they shoved her because she knew they were only trying to get to their destination. She became..._optimistic_.

Right on time, Izzie appeared. "Hey," Izzie said as she walked next to her.

Meredith smiled, "Hey Izzie."

"How's your morning this far?"

"It's _good_," Meredith has never said the word 'great' when referring to herself.

Izzie gave Meredith a automated answer until she realized what she had just said. "Well," Izzie started, "You have to think pos- WHAAAAA?"

Meredith smiled, "I knew you would do that."

"Meredith's day is never great. Your day is never great. Where's my Mer & what have you done to her?"

"What? I can't have a good day? For God sakes, we are Seniors." Meredith smiled at her playfully and walked ahead of her.

"Where are you going," Izzie asked as she stood behind.

"I have to find Lexie, I'll meet you at the table," She said as she headed to find Lexie.

As she walked away, Izzie stopped in the middle of the hall. "...This is like a glitch in the matrix."

Meredith searched and searched but could not find Lexie. She looked around in the empty hallways but all she could find was Lexie's friend, Avery.

"Yo, Jackson," She called.

He winced. "You know how much I hate that."

"Oops," she said sarcastically, "It slipped my tongue. Where's my sister? She has my Calculus homework."

"I don't know, she left class late because she needed help with some science work. She should be by her locker"

"Thanks pretty boy," Meredith says playfully before walking away.

"Um, Meredith," He calls out to her.

She stops and turns around and looks at him, waiting to hear the question.

"Who did that nickname come from?"

"From Cristina. Why?"

"So she talks about me," He asked her with the biggest smile she has ever seen.

She smiles back and sprints away trying to find her sister. As she turns the corner to her sister's locker, she bumps into someone, making her fall on the ground. She looks up to find it was the same blue eyes she had seen yesterday afternoon. He smiles and her heartbeat races. She lets out an agitated sigh only knowing that, that's not how she felt. He stuck his hand out to help her up. "We meet again," he said.

She grabs onto his hand and tries to compose herself, "So we do. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my friend Callie. You might know her as Calliope."

"Yeah, I go to her when I'm late for school."

"Yeah," he said being amazed by her beauty once again.

She started to notice his look. She didn't know if this was a good thing, or a bad thing she was alone in the hallway. She became nervous. She gestured behind her, "Well I'm gonna go now." She starts to walk away until he says something. She was hoping he would.

"What grade are you in," he calls out to her.

She smiles slightly, only to compose herself before she turns to him once again. "I'm a Senior," she answers bashfully. She stands far from him and doesn't move closer. She stays where she is, but this doesn't bother him a bit.

"Oh," he was glad. He began inching his way toward her. He took two steps closer, "Okay. ….Do you know where you're going to College next year?"

"I have a few Colleges in mind."

He inched two more steps, "Is Seattle university one of them?"

She noticed he was getting closer to her, and as he did her body was jumping with excitement. She felt her hands shaking, "Possibly, why?"

He inched closer to her, he was so close that they could feel each others body warmth. "Because it would be nice to see you every day," he responded softly.

"Look, I'm flattered but –"

"Go out with me," he said cutting her off as his smile almost hypnotizes her.

Meredith stops talking. She wasn't sure what he actually said. It sounded as if he asked her out on a date. "Excuse me?"

"Go out with me," he repeated.

She shook her head and took a step back, scared. "Look, I'm 18-"

"Okay and I'm twenty. That's not a big age difference. Go out with me," he inched closer.

"I don't even know who you are."

He stopped. "You're right," he said. The silence took over all of the halls. She insisted she left and began to walk away, but he couldn't let her leave without seeing her again. "Hey," he called out to her.

She sighed and turned around to him once again, "Yes?"

"I'm going to the Bistro's tomorrow night for a dinner party. I'm inviting you, invite your friends too, I don't care. But I just have to see you again. Please, say yes."

She smiled, "Goodbye Derek."

As she walked away the bell rang and the kids came out of their classrooms and the lunch garden. He stood there watching her walk away, watching her drift into the sea of students. "That is some girl," he mumbled to himself before walking away.

As the kids went on to their next lunch period or their next class, Cristina walked to her locker to get her books for her next class. As she opened her locker, a rose, and a letter. She opens the letter and it reads:

_ In my mind you leap,  
><em>_With words you'd never speak.  
><em>_In my soul you'll stay,  
><em>_Forever and a day.  
><em>_One day you'll be mine,  
><em>_& Our hands will intertwine.  
><em>_Your soul shines brighter than the sun,  
><em>_Our love will become as one._

_ Signed,  
><em>_Your Secret Admirer._

Cristina looked disturbed. The last time she had an admirer, she was in the 2nd grade and her admirer liked glue. Now, she didn't quite figure out who would like her so much to write her a poem, but she felt flattered in some type of way. She opened her locker, only to realize she had a mix tape as well. She looked around to see if anyone was looking at her, no had. She grabbed the mix-tape and put it in her bag. She wanted to listen to how someone could possibly feel about her.

"Lexie, wake up," Meredith whined as she shook her sister, early the next morning.

Her sister let out a little snort as she sat up. Her back placed straight against the wall, she rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times before she began speaking. With a groggy tone she asked, "What time is it?"

"It's 7:24, but that's not the point-" She was interrupted.

"Wait, wait, wait," she shook her head to make sure she was getting it right & it wasn't an absolute nightmare, "You woke me up at 7 in the morning? On a Saturday? And that's not the point?"

"No," she said in an uneven tone, "That's not the point," just as she was about to say the point she was interrupted once more.

"Then what's the point?"

"I'm getting to the point, the point is-"

"I would LOVE to know what the point is," she said cutting her off once more.

Meredith flicked her sister on the nose, "I would tell you what the point is if you stop cutting me off."

Lexie grabbed her nose and winced.

Meredith continued, "The point is I'm nervous. It's Derek."

Lexie's eyes grew wide, "Derek? Derek Sheppard? Wallet Guy?"

"Yes Wallet Guy. He asked me out on a date."

Lexie gasped, and moved to the corner wall giving Meredith some room to lay in bed with her. "What did you say?"

Meredith crawled in bed and went underneath the covers, "I said No."

She gasped again, "What did he do? Did he take the rejection? Did he cry?"

Meredith looked at her and seriously said, "No he did not cry. But he didn't take no for an answer. He invited me to a dinner party at the Bistro's. He told me I could invite any of my friends. I don't know."

"Mer," Lexie said persistently, "When you started high-school you used to always talk about that High school moment."

"Yeah, with a high-school guy. Not some 20 year old college student. Besides the rules are completely different."

"Boo-hoo. This guy is chasing you. We're not talking about stuttering Frank who asked you out last year. This is a real catch. I think you should do it."

She began thinking about it. She smiled & hesitantly she spoke "I just... I... I don't want to go alone. I'll look like an outcast. Would you come?"

Lexie's nose scrunch up, "Who else is going?"

"I'm asking Karev & Cristina, they'll be down for it I'm sure. But I need you."

She sighed, "Fine I'll go. Only if I can take April & Avery."

Meredith stuck her hand out and smiled, "Deal."

Lexie smiled, shook her hand. Then kicked her out of her bed and went back to sleep. Meredith went to her room and called Cristina. They spoke for a brief second and decided to meet each other at the park. Meredith waited in her jogging clothes and Cristina showed up on time in the same attire. They decided to warm up.

"Where were you yesterday," Cristina said as she stretched her arms.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't show up for Lunch & you told Izzie you would. Did you actually do the dirty with frank."

"Ew, every time I look at him I think of Alfalfa from the Little Rascals. I Just can't"

Cristina Laughed. They slowly began jogging, "So what happened?"

"Wallet guy."

"Wallet guy? You never told me what happened. Was he hot?"

"More than hot. He was dreamy. He's the man of my dreams."

"So if you feel that way, why didn't you make a move?"

"I didn't need to. He asked me out."

Cristina stopped running. She tried to catch her breath as Meredith stopped as well but began sprinting in place.. "And you... didn't feel the need... to call me... and talk about … dressing options...?"

"There wasn't a need to. I turned him down."

"Please tell me you magically lost a limb that re-appeared. That's the reason you turned him down."

"I don't know him. He's probably a date raper."

"Okay and? I know I taught you how to slice deep with that cadaver your mom gave you for your 14th birthday."

"But It doesn't matter."

"Why is that?"

"Because he invited me to a dinner party & you're coming with me." She began running, Cristina followed right after.

"And why the hell do I need to be there?"

"Because you are my best friend, and you need to help me not mess things up."

"Okay fine." They continued to jog for a few seconds until Cristina blurted out what she had been wanting to say, "So I have a Secret Admirer."

Meredith stopped running and looked at her best friend. "What?"

"Well, I was looking for you but I couldn't find you. So I went to my locker and found a rose. And a poem. And a Mix-tape."

"A mix-tape? Wow, this secret guy must be serious."

"That's what I said."

"Maybe it's Avery."

Cristina looked disgusted. "Avery? Are you kidding me?"

Sincerely she responded, "Well not really. Before I bumped into Mcdreamy, he was in the halls. From what I hear after eavesdropping on Lexie's conversations he really likes you. So I wouldn't be surprised if it was him. I know he spends his Saturdays here with his dogs," she pointed to the west side of the park, "Look he's over there. I could talk to him if you want."

She stared at Avery and studied his chiseled body and gorgeous smile. She started in his eyes and was almost lost in a trance. Calmly she spoke, "No, no... I think I got this." Giving Meredith no notice, she began running towards Avery.

"Hey," she screamed as she ran towards him, "Hey you!" Avery was frightened. He tried to avoid eye contact. "I'm talking to you," she yelled at him. He stammered while his dogs surrounded him. "Hey," she said once more.

"Yeah," he said nervously.

"Did you write me that poem, and that mix-tape?"

"Did April tell you that? I swear she such a big mouth, I can nev-"

"She didn't tell me anything, I found out myself. So was it you?"

"If I say yes, and you going to punch my throat?"

"Answer Correctly and we'll see what happens."

"He flinched, "Yes... Look I'm really sorry. I wont do it ag-"

"It's sweet," she said calmly, "Are you going to that dinner party with Lexie?"

"I was thinking about it. I don't know if I should go."

"Well you are now. As my date. Pick me up at 6. DON'T BE LATE."

He smiled, "Okay. I will."

She took a deep breath, "Okay good. & Stop smiling like that. You look like a creeper."

She ran her way back to Meredith and he smiled as his dogs barked at him. This was the break he was waiting for.


	3. Chapter 3

Meredith stared at herself in the mirror for a really long time. She stared at her rosy cheeks, and the shape of her eyes. She looked at herself and wondered if it was worth it. Deep inside the feeling of embarrassment was boiling up within her. She thought if this was a joke, how far would they take it. But no matter what happened tonight, she would be dressed to kill. She sat in her undergarments looking at the dressy clothes behind her in the mirror and thought it was time to put it on. It had been 6:30 and she was nowhere near dressed. As she slipped it on, she walked toward the door & opened it as she zipped her skirt up. At the same moment, Lexie opened her door. It was silent in the house for a moment, as they both looked at each other.

Simultaneously they spoke, "How do I look?"

Meredith studied her sisters face and noticed she was chewing the inside of her bottom lip. She knows that she only does that when something is making her feel psychotic. "Why are you nervous," she asked.

Lexie's back tensed up as her left eye twitched. She stammered until she could make a sentence."Wh- why are y-you n-nervous?"

"Hello," Meredith said in an uneven tone. She waved her hand in Lexie's face, making her blink dramatically. This was Meredith's night, she had a reason to be nervous. She was unsure of what Lexie's nerves were spiraling down.

"Oh sorry," Lexie looked down. She realized that she says things without understanding what she has said. She continued, "my bad."

Meredith smiled. "How's my hair?"

Lexie looked at her sister's hair. Although they competed in many things, Meredith's sily brown hair was always the best. Lexie admired how her sisters hair was pinned up to look like a Bob. "Great," she replied immediately.

"Teeth?"

"Clean."

"Clothes?"

Meredith placed her hands on her waist awkwardly, showing Lexie her high waisted skirt. "Trendy,"Lexie replied.

"Thanks," Meredith let out a sigh.

Seconds passed by and Lexie waited. The quiet took over the hall once again. She stared at Meredith, only as she paid attention to herself. Lexie began swinging her arms back and fourth waiting for her sister to compliment her. But she didn't. Only when Lexie let out a horrible, fake sounding cough Meredith then realized what her little sister wanted. "Oh right! Right," she said coming to an answer. "...You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she said in an exasperated tone.

"Okay, so whats the game plan," Meredith asked.

She snaped both of her fingers. "I'm going to pick up April. Avery will be there with Cristina. So everyone should be there by 8:30. What are you going to do?"

"Karev is driving me to the Bistro's in like six minutes," She checked her watch, "He should almost be here."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"What," she asked innocently.

"Well Karev's hot- more than hot, he's smokin'. Do you think it would be a good idea to go in there with him?"

"I'll take my chances. Now hurry up, go and get April." They both walked into their rooms, and slammed the door almost in unison. Lexie put on her coat and walked downstairs to get April. Meredith sat by her window and waited until Karev honked his horn.

At 6 o'clock Cristina looked beautiful. She kept her curly locks down, and wore a tight plain black dress with gorgeous black heels. Her outfit matched her soul. Black. As she walked to the kitchen she heard a knock at the door. She checked her watch. She knew it was Avery. And when she opened her door, her suspicion was correct.

"Hi," he said with a nervous tone. Although he was nervous he had this biggest smile on his face.

Cristina didn't respond. She was looking at him. She stared at him from head to toe. He wore a white V-neck t-shirt with a black and navy blue stripped cardigan, and as her eyes traveled downward he wore black straight leg jeans. '_Appearance = 10' _she said in her head. She looked at his face and realized he was nervous, she put on a fake smile, "Hi," she said back finally.

From behind his back he held a bouquet of pink lilies. Ever since he was younger, his mother told him to always give a young girl pink lilies & that you would steal their heart when you do. So he held his heart to it. "These are for you."

With sincerity, she grabbed them and responded, "aw thank you Avery, that's so sweet of you."

Silence over-took them. She realized that he was still standing at the door step. "Oh! This is so rude of me, come in." He walked into the house, and looked around. He was amazed, but even more amazed at the way that Cristina looked.

"Wow," he said in an exasperated tone, "you look fantastic."

"Thank you," she responded, "you pulled yourself together nicely too." Silence filled the room once again. Avery stared at her as she tried to avoid eye contact. She put the lilies in water and he continued to stare.

Before she turned around, he asked, "So what time do we need to be there?"

She looked at her watch again, "We have to be there by 8:30. It's 6:30 now. I'm sorry for making you come so early, we kind of changed plans at the last minute."

"No it's fine," he said reassuringly, "I actually wanted to take you somewhere, if it was alright with you?"

She thought for a minute. Did Avery really like her or was this all a joke? She didn't like jokes and she would beat the crap out of him if it really was. "Um, where to?"

"It's a surprise."

"Um.. okay. Let me grab my coat and purse then." She grabbed her coat and opened the door for him and led him out. She decided to take the purse with the knife, just in case.

Twenty minutes later, they were at the park. It was getting chilly out there, so he decided to giver her his coat to keep her warm. She was curious why he had taken her there, she felt like Meredith was wrong. She felt Derek wasn't the date raper, Avery was. She kept away from him, and kept on her tippy toes just in case he tried to pull something.

"So why did you bring me to the park, Avery," she finally got the courage to ask him. She was ready to run. In her head she thanked every upper power for reminding her to put comfortable insoles into her heels.

He looked at her and smiled, "I know you probably think I'm a creeper. & it's okay, I'll accept that. But I just wanted to show you this place."

She looked around and didn't see anything. "Show me what place? The dark? For this I could have stayed home and not pay my light bill."

He smiled at her again, "Exactly. During my weekends I walk dogs and do community service. I figure if I started since Freshman year, I could get a really good recommendation from them by senior year. So I make them a garden every time the spring comes around."

"But it's fall," Cristina said.

"I know. But I'm so good at gardening, I maintain things. So I called them today and asked them to do me a favor."

"What favor would that be?"

He smiled once again, "What time is it?"

"7:29, why?"

"Perfect," was all he said. And just as he said that, garden lights filled the park. Showing her this wonderful garden filled with Daisies, Lilies, and roses galore. Cristina was astonished by what the garden has looked like, and her face was the exact expression Avery was looking for. There was a walkway that was paved through the garden as if it was a maze.

She placed her hand on her chest and with sincerity she spoke, "Avery, this is amazing."

He got down on one knee, "Cristina, I really like you," he grabbed her hand. She seemed shock by all of this, but scared at the most. She feared he was proposing. He continued, "& I know you don't like me was much as I do, but all I'm asking for is a chance. Just one chance. Not to be together as a couple. But together as in friendship. So you can get to know know me... the real me. The me that you would love if you gave me the chance. So will you give me a chance?"

She was quiet. She didn't know how to respond to this. She seemed dazed and confused. She maybe thought that she could get to know him and like him like he had, but she didn't know. In her heart, it said to give him a chance so she followed what her heart had said.

She inhaled slowly & exhaled just the same, "Look," she started, "Im a cold female. & I can't promise you any guarantee's, I'm not even so sure that you should even be near me because I swore to God you were going to cut my body up and throw me in the river. All I can promise you is one thing. I can be your friend, and only your friend. & if this goes well and you're not dead come spring time, then maybe things can change. I can promise that much. Are you okay with this?"

He smiled once again, "Yes! Im okay with this, Im so okay with this!"

She smirked, "Okay, good. Now stop smiling like a little girl and let's go. We have to show some support."

They walked to their way to Bistro's "I want to be a surgeon y'know," Avery said, as he began talking about his dream life.

Meredith stared at the name of the restaurant. Numb... nervous. Her heart raced, and her stomach fluttered. Alex stared at her with a warm supporting look on his face. She chewed the inside of her bottom lip, just like her sister had earlier that night.

When she was younger she used to dream of prince charming. She used to believe that he had blue eyes and knew how to ride a horse. As she got older, her image of prince charming slowly faded away, along with her dreams and aspirations, they were buried. Meeting Derek made her feel... something along the lines of prince charming. She knew herself, and she knew that she wouldn't be ready. "Karev," She said with a tone of being insecure.

"Yeah?"

She looked down and arched her eyebrows, "I can't do this...I just can't do any of this." She turned to walk away but only stopped by the firm hold he had on her left wrist. She looked into his eyes and he stared back. "Look," he started, "You have this. We're right in front of the restaurant. All you have to do is walk in. He will like you for who you are, the real you. You know why?"

She pouted, "Why?"

"Because you are awesome." She smiled and sighed. He responded with a smile, as well as a soft punch on her arm, playfully. C'mon, now say it."

"...I'm awesome..."

"No! With Pizazz," he said with a french aceent and spirit fingers.

"I'm Awesome," she said louder and more firm.

"Now that's the spirit!"

"You really think I could do this?"

"Nah, I'm just trying to get home so I could watch the game," he replied sarcastically. She hugged him tightly. He gestured to her to walk in front of him. Meredith gathered herself together. "This is it," she said to herself, "no looking back..."

Meredith walked inside & Alex followed right after. She gave her coat to him so he could check them in. She walked further into the restaurant and looked up at the beautifully crystallized chandeliers. The place seemed so empty that she thought that it could be paid off for the night. She wondered if this man had that type of money. Alex returned, interrupting her thought, with a glass of water for both of them.

"This place is trash," he said while looking around with a cold look on his face.

"Shut up," Meredith replied almost running him over verbally.

"Yeah, well... Like I said. It's trash." He took a sip. "So where's this German Sheppard you keep talking about?"

"His name is Derek. Derek Sheppard, and he's not a dog." From behind a large over sized plant, came Derek. Her mind melted into thin air. Alex stared at her, trying to comprehend the words that were coming out of her mouth. They sounded... inhuman. They were a mix of teen girl and pig squeals. He nudged her arm which made her snap back to reality & apparently English as well. "He's coming over," she finally said.

He continued to stare at Meredith wondering if he should run away or send her to a mental institution. But his head turned. He stared at the manly physique that Derek Sheppard possessed. He was everything Alex wanted to be when he got older. "That's him," Karev said insecurely. He caught the way that he sounded and straightened up. "Man, If I wasn't straight," he joked.

Meredith elbowed him in the ribs almost immediately. he grunted in pain. "Don't embarrass me," she sang through her teeth.

Derek finally made his way through and smiled. "Meredith. I'm glad you made it."

She smiled at him, "So am I. This is my friend Alex Karev."

"You're _friend_," he said. He sighed in relief.

"Yeah, don't get too happy bud," Karev said sarcastically as he stuck out his hand & Derek shook it.

He turned to Meredith, "So he's the only friend you brought tonight?"

"No," she said meekly, "there are a few more coming through the night. So if you see anyone you don't know, don't kick them out."

They both had laughed uncomfortably and as that died down, Karev laughed sarcastically. "If you'll excuse me," Karev said, "I'm gonna go drain the lizard." Meredith pierced his soul with her eyes and he planted a fake smile on his face before walking away.

Derek watched him leave and then looked at Meredith, "He really has no filter, does he?"

She smiled coyly, "No. I wish he did, but he doesn't."

It became silent, but the energy stayed the same. "... I'm really glad you came.. Honest."

"I'm glad I came too," she responded sincerely.

The area buzzed with Italian music, and clinking of plates and utensils. They stared at each other. Nothing more. Nothing less. Derek has had many relationships, but he has never felt a strong connection as he does with her. He gestured behind him, "Would you want to go somewhere more quiet to talk?"

She nodded once, "I would love that."

Meanwhile, Avery opened the door for Christina and they both enter. She shrugs her shoulders to carry the over sized coat she was wearing thanks to Avery. He taps her shoulder and she gives it to him and he checks it in. She imitates Meredith by staring at the ceiling and takes in how beautiful the place looks.

"Look who I found," Avery says with his hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex looks at Avery from the corner of his eye and shrugs his hand off of him.

"What were you doing over there," she asks.

"He was flirting with the Coat Checker Girl."

"Really Karev? Don't you have like strong emotional Problems for Izzie?"

He rolls his eyes.

"Well, if you're here that means Meredith's here," she continues, "so where is she?"

"Well if you must know. That German Sheppard guy came by. I went to use the bathroom & then she disappeared."

Cristina scoffed. "She begs me to come to this place and then first chance she gets, she goes and disappeared. She's so slutty." She sits down at an empty table, and pouts as she crossed her arms. The boys follow after.

Alex's leg jumps, nervously. Trying not to sound eager he asks, "So Izzie's not coming?"

"I doubt it," she responds carelessly. Alex scratches his brow and still tries to maintain composure. He stares at Cristina trying to read her mind. She reaches for a bread stick and as she does, she notices his eyes wont go away. "Why are you staring at me like that," she asks annoyed.

"You know damn well why, Cristina. They're sleeping together & you know it!"

She chuckles, "I dont know what they do in their spare time, Karev. But if I did know, they still deserve each other."

He twitches. He tries to surpress his anger, "Excuse me."

Avery's face spells out confused. He moves his head slowly to the left and cuts in, "Wait. You like Izzie?"

She scoffs, "More like head over heels in love. They've been in the same schools since kindergarten. He's been the complete creeper with Izzie. Izzie's been to two Elementary schools. Guess how many Karev's been to? She's gone to Three Middle Schools. Guess how many he's been to? & Only one high school. I wonder why?"

Karev stood up and threw his napkin on the table, "Alright fine, make fun of me. I love her! Yeah, so what! And you can call me a creeper all you want, but you know what," he asked as he leaned in and spoke softer, "I'm a creeper who can have the guts to approach someone. I don't wait three years like _hombre _sitting next you did. But guess what," he said sarcastically, "There's another Creeper joining the party! Because that dude over there," he points to a man with red hair, "has been creeping all night. But he's not just any creeper. He's a Cristina Creeper," he laughs uncontrollably, "Looks like you have competition buddy!" He chuckled as he walked out of the restaurant. Avery looked back to see this man & he was more scared than he led on. This man was attractive and older. He could take Cristina without trying. He knew that.

There was a breeze outside. Meredith enjoyed the feeling of the wind caressing her face. The restaurant's back-view was of the ocean. She closed her eyes and listened carefully to the sound of the breezes. Derek stared at her, amused. He tried to grab her hand but she moved away at the feeling of his touch. His lips pursed as he looked down, "You don't trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you," she paused and thought of how to express her feelings without being so headstrong , "I just don't know you that well."

"You probably think I'm an older man who like's younger girls, I get it."

"No it's not like that -"

"No it's okay, I understand. I would be angry if you didn't have these emotions. I just want you to know," he gazed into her eyes that sent a shock through her body, "You're the only one I would do that for. & I don't want you to think that you're not special. Because you are."

She looked down trying to compose herself, "Well," she began and looked at him, "I'm here aren't I?"

He smiled. Her phone makes a buzzing sound. She looked at her lap and let go of his hands to check her phone. "What is it," he asked as he tried to look at her lap as well.

She looked up at him, "It's my sister. There's a problem."

Stumbling around the corner of the Bistro, came Lexie and April. Lexie tried with her own might to carry April to the restaurant.

Meredith ran from the outside into the restaurant. Behind her was Derek. "Do you need help," he asked. She smiled and gracefully replied "No. My sister probably had a hair malfunction. Probably nothing big." She glanced with to his friends as they seemed to be talking about her. So she continued, "Go hang out with your friends. They look lonely." He smiled and she did in return.

Suddenly the restaurant doors bust open. The front desk of the restaurant smelled like perfume and hard liquor. "DID YOU EVER KNOW THAT YOU'RE MY HERO," April sang as the smell of liquor covered the room. Meredith & Cristina ran to Lexie & as they did Derek's friends walked to him.

"Is she drunk," Meredith exclaimed.

Lexie sighed & moaned as she , "Yes... Yes she is."

"Why is she even here," Cristina yelled.

"She was nervous because of... You know who. She said that she wanted a small drink, but instead she drank the whole bottle. Next thing you know she wants to come to the party naked and I'm like 'No you can't come naked ,that's slutty' and then she goes 'your slutty,' and then I said 'no I'm not, you are' and then-"

"Lexie! Calm down! Your rambling," Meredith says aggravated trying to calm her down.

She sighs, "Sorry!"

While they are trying to figure out what has happened, Mark and Owen are at the bar with drinks in their hand trying to figure out who they are.

"Whose the brunette," Mark asked.

Derek quickly turned his head, "Which brunette?"

"Not your future wife... the rambling one. "

"I don't know. But she's a Grey."

"Hmph," Mark said. He takes a sip of his drink while he stares at Lexie. He finally breaks out of her beauty spell and blinks until he could get his vision back. He looks at Owen, who has been staring as well. Mark looks to his far left to realize who Owen is staring at. He waves his hands in his face and nothing happens. He snaps his fingers almost an inch away from Owens face until he finally came out of it.

"What," he says aggravated, coming back to reality.

"you were... _daydreaming,_" Mark says sarcastically. 

"...I wouldn't say it was daydreaming." He continues to stare at Cristina. All this time, he's been staring at her trying to figure out who she was. He asked mark, " Who is that girl?"

Mark shrugs his shoulders and decides to ask Derek, "Hey, whose the Asian girl?"

"Meredith's best friend – am I an Information Desk tonight?"

Mark and Owen stare at the ones they attracted to simultaneously say "hmph"

"I can't believe you Lexie," Meredith screamed, "You should have knocked her out and taken her home."

"Knock her out – are you serious! Do you hear yourself?"

As they continue to argue April sways with a smile on her face, but soon the smile washes away as she hears her stomach gurgle. " You guys," she says.

They ignore her.

She attempts to get their attention again with a louder tone, "You guys?"

They don't listen again.

"You...gu –" she tries to speak again but she faints onto the floor, unconscious. . Meredith, Cristina & Lexie scream. Cristina gets on her knees to hear April's heart beat. Owen notices.

Owen throws his hands up in the air and screams. An idea comes to his mind. All three girls, plus Derek and Mark look at him. "She fell on the ground & she's intoxicated! Everyone get away stand back! I'm a professional."

Cristina scoffs, "A doctor?"

"Yes," he said, "A doctor in training."

Derek says, "You're not a doctor, you – " Mark elbows him in the stomach almost instantly.

"Why did you do that," he whispered.

Mark whispered back "He obviously has a plan.

Owen picks up April and puts her over his shoulder, "It's probably poisonous." Everyone covers their mouths. "Come with me," he says to Cristina.

"But it's poisonous," she mumbles through her hand.

"But not for you."

"Why only me?"

Mark bursts out, "Because your Asian!"

Owen looks at Mark and sarcastically says "Thanks..."

Mark gives him a thumbs up. Ignoring that, Owen grabs Cristina by the wrist and yells "Oh no! We must go now! It's worst than I thought!."

They run out of the restaurant and Meredith looks at Lexie, "What the hell is going on today?" She looks at the boys, they immediately shrug their shoulders. Worried, Avery asks, "Should I go with them?"

"No," Mark almost yells, "You need to keep your friend..."

Lexie turns around and sees Mark for the first time. The corners of her mouth raise, "Lexie."

"Right," he smiles back, "Lexie company. Don't leave her alone."

Meredith pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales deeply. Derek walks to her and smiles, "Everything is going to be okay, just trust me."

Meredith put on a fake smile but deep down she knew... these people were crazy... & they were only going to get even more crazy. Maybe she should have came alone in the first place.


	4. Chapter 4

The restaurant seemed empty. All who was left was Derek, Meredith, and Calliope along with a few other unfamiliar faces. The emptiness of the place, made Meredith feel uncomfortable. She chewed the inside of her lower lip and sighed hard. "Great," she murmured to herself as she stared at the vacant area. From a distance, stood Derek at the bar, staring at her while her played with the drink in his hand. Meredith, oblivious to the looks that Derek gave her, walked around the room to find her things. She thought it would be best if she went home. She knew she wouldn't have forgotten this night, and it was true, she wouldn't.

As she picked up her purse and her coat, Derek walked behind her with his hands in his pocket. She turned around and to her surprise he was standing there. She sighed once again, "Well... This night has turned out to be something else. I'm sorry about my friends, they're a lot to handle." He smiled and simply just stared. She continued, "I hope we could do this again... without drunk teenagers."

He took a step closer. He noticed how quick her body tensed up, and took a step away. She looked away from him, and he didn't know how to respond to that. She placed her hand on the back of her neck, to cover her hairs that were rising. Her cheeks became as red as a tomato, and this did not go unnoticed. He smiled brightly and gestured at the door, "I'd like to walk you home. If that's alright with you."

She took a moment to think about the consequences, and at that moment the thought person she had grown to be after her mothers death seemed to had gone out the window. "Sure," she said with a firm tone." What could go wrong with being insensible for one night.

Meanwhile, Owen and Cristina had taken April to the hospital to make sure she was okay. Although that was the intention of coming to the hospital for Cristina, Owen's true intentions were to drop her off somewhere so he could be with Cristina alone. He knew he couldn't flirt with Cristina with dead weight on his shoulders...literally.

"She's stable, right now," the doctor said. The doctor has a unique sound coming out of his mouth. It seemed as if the man had a speech impairment making him stutter frequently. They both stared at him, trying not to concentrate on his voice. Although Owen did this very well, the corners of Cristina's mouth began to raise uncontrollably. The doctor was aware of his impairment and understood why Cristina stared and him like a mental patient he should have but he ignored them both. He continued, "She had an excessive amount of alcohol in her system. And If I ma–.. If I ma—.. If I ma-ay-ay-ay ask! What is your relation to the patient?"

Cristina's eyes widened as she squawked slightly like a chicken. Owen cleared his throat and with a serious tone he responded, "I am... her cousin. Sir."

"I- I- see. So, how did a minor like her consume so much alcohol," he asked Owen. As Owen parted his lips to answer, the doctors nose had a high pitch sound come from his left nostril. He slowly raised his hand and covered his left nostril.

"Did an alarm come from your left nostril," Cristina said as she tried to fight the giggles.

"...I have a deviated septum."

"You have a deviated septum, so it makes high pitched balloon sounds?"

"It happens when I'm n-n-nervous," he said to her the turned to Owen. "Now back to you sir."

"She got accepted to her first College today, so I took her out to drink. She only had three drinks. I guess she didn't mix them well enough."

The doctor nodded. "I see, well we'll have to keep watch on her over night. Make sure she doesn't have alcohol poisoning. You can pick her up tomorrow afternoon."

Owen smiled and thanked the doctor. He walked out the hospital with Cristina. She let out a long overdue laugh and grabbed her chest. As they walked out of the parking lot of the hospital. She bent over to catch her own breath and then stood up straight to take a deep breath. Owen stared at her with a smirk, which he tried to fight away. As they continued to walk, Owen attempted to grab Cristina's hand. The fun and games seemed to have gone serious as she stopped.

"What do you think you're doing," she asked angrily.

He had stopped to think of an answer that was clever, but all he could think of was, "Grabbing your.. hand?" He smiled with a goofy smile. She was unimpressed.

Her cheeks flushed with redness as she scoffed. "I'm not that easy to get to," she yelled.

He face seemed frazzled, "But your friend-"

She smacked her teeth, "She's not even my friend. I actually find her to be annoying."

He was silent for a moment. "... So I picked the wrong girl, then."

"What do you mean wrong girl," she pinched the bridge of her nose and replied most aggravated.

"To impress you," he said, " I knew I should have put butter on the floor to make that light eyed boy fall." He smiled as he made the joke. Cristina was still unimpressed.

She stepped closer to him and stared into his eyes as if he were a lunatic, "Does this work on other girls? Do you do this with everyone?"

He thought about it, "Yes. Yes it does."

She grew silent. From the minute Cristina noticed him, she knew she was attracted to him. But the minute he opened his mouth she knew he was a repugnant fool with no filter. He was egotistical and rude and she didn't like it at all. Although she knew he was a spitting image of herself, she couldn't stand it. She vowed that if this is what she was like... she would still be this way but consider being a double standard person. She scoffed and stormed away, but he followed. He followed her for three blocks, until they reached her house. She pulled out keys for car and got inside. He stared at her getting inside of the car confused as to what to do next. She turned on the engine and backed out of the parking lot. Still, he stared at her as she backed out of the lot and drove off. He walked to the curb and watched her drive away. On the streets of Seattle it became quiet. He tried to comprehend what just happened and he had done, but he felt it was too late to do anything about it. So he walked away. As he started to walk his way back to the Bistro, he heard a screech of someone's brakes behind him. He turned around to see the same yellow 1990's car that she had been driving, stopped behind him. She rolled down the windows and forcefully said, "Get in."

He took one step near the car, and then thought about what she could do. He saw her pull out a cadaver inside the restaurant earlier. "Why," he said suspiciously. She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply only to repeat what she had said once again. "Get. In."

"Isn't this illegal? You driving," he asked nervously.

She took her foot off of the break pedal and onto the gas pedal. "I'm 18," she replied, " not 8." She refused to tell him where they were going and he was scared she would slice his body up and feed it to the fishes. He became silent , Cristina smiled. This is exactly what she wanted.

The streets in Seattle on a Saturday are almost never quiet. Although there was noise buzzing around them, all three were quiet. Lexie stood in between an older man who had seem to be attracted to her, and a young boy who was attracted to an older woman, Lexie was afraid to speak. But when she wasn't looking Mark would gaze at her body figure. He imagined what her legs would feel like wrapped around his waist. He imagined his inner most fantasies coming to life, with her making them come to reality. He took a deep breath when he came out of his day dreaming, to realize that he had stop breathing... and he had stared at her butt for too long. His face flushed, as she stared back at him with a destroyed look on her face.

Avery sighed. His face resembling a lost puppy, he mumbled, "Where is she." Lexie pouted briefly. She knew how much he liked her and she can sympathize with him. Softly, put her hands on his broad shoulders, making him look up and stop in his tracks. "You don't have to worry," Lexie said sincerely, "April will be fine... I'm pretty sure Cristina's taking care of her."

His face transitioned from sad, to confused, "Wait.. That's not who I– "

"I'm bored," Mark cut in. The night was young. Usually on a Saturday he would be drinking with the guys.

Lexie pierced her eyes at Mark. With an even tone she said, "Then go home."

He jerked his head back, "Whoa, ms. Feisty. What's your damage?"

"My damage," Lexie snapped, "is a narcissistic freak like you needs to go away!"

His eyebrows arched as a smirk painted on his face, "Ouch... but with a couple of patron shots, maybe you'll turn into the freak."

She dropped her hands to her side and walked slowly to him. He smiled uncomfortably as he watched her come closer but as she inched toward him, Avery became furious. He was already hurt by the fact that Cristina ditched him for an older guy, and this seemingly older guy tried to take away his best friend too. Oblivious to the emotions of Avery, she snapped at mark. Avery walked away deciding to find Cristina on his own.

"I may be young," she started, "Mark, I may be another female in your eyes. But I will not be another hussy in your bedroom. So your description of fun, will never be the same as mine. You think that just because I have a pretty face and a tight ass and that you have been successful with every woman you have flashed that stupid smile, which you have had a piece of spinach stuck in your incisors for almost two hours by the way, that I will open my legs up to you. It won't work that way, so give up and try your luck with someone else," she looked at her watch, "Oh gee look – it's 12 O'clock! You can probably try your luck at Joe's bar."

He didn't respond. He was stunned at how she snapped at him, but firstly he was trying to get a that piece out of his teeth. He didn't know how to approach this at all. He wanted her, for her body... maybe some late night company but she wouldn't buy his normal lines. He had to try something different.

Her cheeks became flushed, crimson red as he just stood there. She sighed and turned away. When she turned away she realized Avery was gone. No one was there. Although it was early for Mark, it was not early for the both of them. She had to find him soon.

Minutes of walking alone in Seattle for the first time all night was a relief for Derek, but a disaster for Meredith. Her mind felt all mushy, and her stomach decided to mimic what her mind felt. It became quiet on the way home, so she decided to take the first leap.

"Sooo," she started, "what are you in for?"

He looked at her and laughed, "You make it sound like I'm in prison. You are going to have to be more specific."

She covered her face with her hands bashfully. She peeked through her hands and smiled, "Sorry. I mean... what are you in College for?"

He continued to grin, "I want to be an Architect. I always loved the structures of buildings."

"That's nice," she responded, "What was the first Building you fell in love with?"

He stared at her, amazed with her choice of words. "No ones ever asked me that before."

"What," she sounded amused. "Which building you liked? Well, you're friends aren't very supportive, are they."

He chuckled, "No.. which building I fell in love with. You picked a nice set of words."

She looked down as her cheeks flamed with a cherry red, "Well it's a simple question, I figure you would get asked that a lot. I didn't know there were different kinds."

"Everyone's always asked me which building inspired me. Not which one I loved."

Meredith forgot how to speak because this man became more charming bu the minute. So she decided to savor the moment before she found out anything wrong about him. As he continued to walk her home, Meredith caught a glance of Seattle's lights. She sped up her walk, just a little to sit at the nearest bench. He followed. She sat at one side of the bench, and he sat at the other. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, and he simply stared. The corner of her lips raised gradually. He playfully moved closer to her, and she did the same. They kept moving closer to each other until they were thigh to thigh. She coyly looked away, staring at the lights and she took a deep breath.

She continued to look at the Seattle lights as she spoke to him. "...Have you ever seen Seattle?"

He scoffed, "Of course I have. I live here!"

She inhaled slowly and exhaled slowly, before she looked at him. "No," she said calmly, "I mean _really _looked at Seattle. Did you know that this was the first state to put Policemen on bicycles? I find it funny that I live here, because even though we have some of the most beautiful buildings Seattle has the highest suicide rate. Only 71 days out of 365 are actually sunny ...All of the rest are gray...Like me."

As she tells this story to him, she smiles. And as she smiled he stares at her amazed at who she is. He asks himself if this girl, this girl that came to him on a regular day was actually a senior. Was she older? Because her insight was much of a person in college. He stares at her continuously, and inhales for a second. As he exhales he says, "Empire state building."

She looked confused, her eyes open more, "What?"

"..The building I fell in love with, Empire state building. My mom took me after my dad died. She told me that, that building was the symbol of love & that they filmed her favorite movie there."

She looked at the lights again. "... _an affair to remember_..."

"...An affair to remember..." he sighed.

She looked down at her feet, "It was my mom's favorite movie before she died."

She smiled and jumped up from the bench. "C'mon Mr. Sheppard. Take me home."

As they walked to her home, they got to know each other very well. He told her about his dreams, and she told him about her expectations. Moments passed and she felt the chains surrounding her heart, loosening. She looked at him and saw her as him, in a male form. She felt that this was the man of her dreams but couldn't know for sure. She's never gotten her heart broken and she wouldn't start now. Eventually they were in front of her steps.

"What time is it?"

"12:30," he said as he looked at his watched.

She flapped her hands to her sides, "Welp! I think it's time for this princess to head to her castle."

"I guess so," he responded.

She went up one step before she came back down, "You think we could meet again?" He parted his lips, but she continued, "You know... during the day and without any one around.. Like... just us..?"

He smiled, "Like a date?" She nodded shyly. "Yeah," he said with joy. She sighed and smiled. Before going inside she kissed his cheek and ran up the stairs. She waved before locking the door behind her.

"...That girl," he said. That girl indeed.

When Cristina's car finally stopped, they were near a deserted warehouse. His heart began to pound. "_Oh no," _He thought to himself,_"she's gonna kill ?"_, he continued to say to himself, _"If you can hear me, If you get me out of this alive I will go to church first thing Sunday morning. I promise." _

She smiled and looked at him with this deranged look on her face. He looked like he was going to piss on himself or cry. Maybe a little of both. She thought it would be good to put him at ease. She didn't want to become embarrassed. "Everyone's inside, please don't pee on yourself. "

"_Oh god, I'm a sacrifice." _he said once again to himself. She saw his face. She knew that what she said didn't help anyone.

As they walked in, he saw a huge crowd surrounding the middle of the warehouse. Cristina pushed and shoved her way to the front. As Owen realized what it was, he felt more relieved than excited.

"What is this place," he said too eager.

"What do you think this is?"

He drooled, "...Heaven."

She looked at him then turned away, "If your drool touches the floor, you'll get kicked out."

"Are you joking?"

She turned to him immediately, "Oh. I never Joke."

He quickly wiped the drool away and asked, "Seriously what is this place?"

"Roller Derby. You've been to a game before?"

"No, not really."

"Then watch and learn lover boy. Because girls can be just as brutal as you."

They watched the match as the one team in green devoured another team in purple. Cristina kept her eyes on the arena while Owen would constantly looked at her. She didn't want to look at him because she felt she would feel chemistry. Cristina wasn't looking for chemistry. After the match was over, Owen was wired. He was so happy and told her that he's never seen anything like it. She smiled and felt happy inside that he liked it, but would never express these feelings. As they were about to leave, an older looking version of Cristina calls her.

"Cristina," the girl says. She roller skates her way to Cristina and Owen.

They give each other a distant pound and smile at each other vaguely. "Owen," Cristina says, "This is my sister Calista. Calista, this is Owen."

He smiled, "Calista & Cristina?"

"Yeah," Cristina said sarcastically, "It sounds so alike ...Big woop.."

He chuckled, "It just sounds like a reality TV show."

They both stared at him unamused.

Calista ignored him, "Anyway. Why are you here? Its way past your bedtime."

"You know mom doesn't care. Besides, I just wanted to come here to show him some stuff."

"Okay. Well head back now. You know how mom is." She looked at Owen then back at Cristina. She whispered softly, "In the box in the backseat are some condoms if you ev-"

"Alright," Cristina yelled. "I'll see you next weekend!"

Owen blushed and refrained from laughing. As they walked to the car Cristina looked at him. "What," she said coldly.

"Nothing," he smiled.

They were back on their way to Seattle and Owen continued to look at her. She glanced at him and realized he wasn't looking away. "Spit it out," she said.

"Why did you say, 'see you next weekend' to your sister."

"She doesn't live with my mom."

"Why?"

"Because not every family is perfect. Our family fails to see it that way."

"What do you mean?"

"She's gay. My family just doesn't except that. They still live in the twenties."

"Why are you still at home then?"

"Because I want to be a doctor. & I'll need money from them soon."

"Do you love them?"

She hesitated, "Sometimes."

"Why not all the time?"

She sighed, "It's complicated lover boy, just leave it at that." He turned away and looked out the window.

Eventually she stopped in front of Derek's apartment. She unlocked her doors and turned to him. "Okay," she said, "this is your destination."

He stared at her again, "I want to see you again."

She looked at him as if he were crazy, "Why?"

"Because you...you're interesting."

"Um, okay?"

He smiled, "Great!"

She was confused, "Wait wh-"

"I'll see you Thursday!"

"But I-"

"I'll pick you up at 8!" Before she could say anything he had already went inside the apartment. Cristina was confused more than ever. What had just happened? Did he miss understand? She didn't want to see him, yet some part of her did. She banged her head softly against the horn of her car before driving off. This boy was annoying. It was starting to tick her off.


	5. Chapter 5

The scraping of Lexie dragging her feet was the only sound to be heard. Mark silently followed her, trying to figure out what to say. She anxiously kept pressing re-dial, trying to find Avery. Trying to comfort him. But he was nowhere to be found. She stopped in front of his house, hoping to find him there but he wasn't. She concentrated hard, trying to see if there was a night light in his room from the window. She knew Avery's deepest secret. He was afraid of the dark. Therefore she knew he wasn't home. She slapped her hands to her side as her head swung down. She felt defeated. Mark studied her movements, & saw how compassionate she was about her friends. He thought it was... _cute._ He took a few steps closer to her, wanting to console her. But as she turned around and her face bumped in to his iron clad chest, all she wanted was for him to leave her alone.

She puts her hands in the air, wanting to hurt him badly. Her hands stop in at his face, as if she were restraining her own self. His eyebrow twitches curiously as he just stands there, staring at her.. Her hands start to tremble as they move closer to herself. She placed both of her index fingers lightly onto her temples. She let out a growl, as she rubbed them clockwise.

"I'm," he says slowly as he points his finger at her, "starting to get the feeling you're angry." Her eyes narrow, thinking of ways to kill him silently. She turns around and storms off. He follows her calmly putting his hands in his pocket. He leans toward her as he tries to keep her pace.. "Where are we going?"

She continues to growl as she stares at him from the corner of her eye. She closes her hands into fists, trying not to swing his way although she knows she will miss. "I AM, going home to speak to my sister. YOU are going somewhere else, that I could care less about."

"So, since you don't care. I'll go with you."

She looked at him with a disgusted face & he smirked with pleasure.

As she reached the house, she saw a familiar face coming their way. Her face lit up with joy, although she hadn't found Avery. If she could get Mark, who had seemed to be like a leech, off of her then she would feel much better.

She jumped, "Derek!" She ran to him and hugged him very tightly. He held back because he didn't understand what was going on. As she let go she eagerly spoke, "Get him away from me. If you don't help me now, you will never see Meredith again."

He looked at Mark, and in response Mark shrugged his shoulders. Derek Chuckled, "I'll see what I can do."

She stepped back, to realize that Meredith was around him. "Where's my sister?" She had a suspicious tone, which he knew she should, sooner or later.

He smiled, "I dropped her off an hour ago."

"Then why are you here," she responded.

He raises his hand and shows her Merediths' purse. Lexie made the O shape with mouth and grabbed it from him. "I'll take it to her. I need to talk to her about Avery. Please do me this favor tonight, and I'll make sure she never stops talking about you." She goes up the steps and closes the door behind her.

Meredith sat at the edge of her bed gazing out her window. The mild breeze touched her face as she closed her eyes. The memory of Derek calling her his Cinderella leeched its way into her brain making her heart beat a rapid pace, her fingers grasped the edge of her bed. She touched her neck softy only to realize she still wore her mothers necklace, the necklace her mother stole from Meredith's grandmother. She vowed only to wear it on special occasions but the thought of her mother dulled her senses and for only one false moment she forgot about Derek.

"No," she weakly said to herself. She understood that her mother was different from them all, she wouldn't be able to accept what she had given herself. Her elbows became weak and her back sunk inwards. She bit her lip to control the pain & to control the anger, she tried to close her eyes to make the thoughts go away, but this became impossible. Water leaked from her eyes and sunk deep into her royal blue dress. Meredith became..._hopeless._

The doorknob began to turn and Meredith heard it turn although her back was facing the door. "Lexie" she asked weakly, "Is that you?" The door opened but no one said a word. Meredith turned her face slightly only to see the persons figure, and as she had done so her heart began to race again. She turned away and stared out the window again and ever so often did she look down.

"Mer," Lexie said sincerely.

"Hmm," she responded.

"Were you asleep?"

"I wish," she murmured.

"If it's a problem, I can come back later."

"Lexie, it's almost two in the morning. If it wasn't important , you wouldn't be here. Spill."

Lexie picked up the bottom of her dress and walked her way into Meredith's room. "Well, I can't find Avery," she said hesitating after every word.

Meredith's eyebrows rose just like Lexie's had, this made them look exactly alike. "What do you mean you can't find Avery. He was with you."

"Well he got upset because Cristina left with that older guy, and then he got even more upset because of that other older guy that likes me. So he left."

"Well, did you check his house?"

""No. His house light are off. He would have left his light on. He's afraid of the dark."

Awkward silence filled the room. Meredith stared at Lexie as if she were crazy, and after a slight moment Meredith walked to her phone. "I'm going to take care of this." She dialed a number and let it ring. Cristina picked up the phone and spoke as If she knew who it was. "You should watch this. Some girl can contort her head into 360."

After hearing Cristina's voice, Meredith completely lost sight of why she called and became interested in the conversation, "Really? Does she have bones in her neck?"

"Yeah that's the crazy part." Cristina responded, "I have a feeling she's like part owl or something."

"That's cool, does she have really big eyes that pop out-" Lexie dug into Meredith shoulder blade, "Ow," she pierced her eyes into Lexie's. She kept her hands on her shoulder and Meredith continued to speak, "Cristina, you have to go and find Avery."

"Why? Where is he?"

"Because he likes you & I don't know."

"But why? Its so late."

"Well you left him for a guy whose hair is the color of Ravioli."

"It's not the color of ravioli!"

"Either way you still have to find Avery."

"Why? He'll show up."

"Put it this way, if you don't do it, he'll end up going missing. He'll be on the news and Lexie over here will tell reporters that it was your fault he ran away. Cops will be after you and you'll be a fugitive. You don't want that do you?"

She let out a sigh, "Fine I'll go, but only because if I don't you wont leave me alone. Lexie knows I know 18 different pressure points that would make her whole system shut down. She wont try anything."

A few minutes later, Cristina found her way to the park which Avery had shown her earlier. He was sitting in front of the light show he had created. Cristina stopped before walking to him and just watched him. She had remorse for him, because she never knew how sad he was. She took a deep breath and sighed. She found her way to him and spoke.

"Hey stranger," she said as she found a seat next to him. His face was stunned but covered it up immediately.

"Hi," he said gloomily. He scooted an inch away from her.

"Why do you sound like that?"

"It's nothing," he responded quickly.

"Is it me?"

He stood quiet.

She sighed and laid back. She looked at him and spoke, "There's nothing special about me. I don't know why your whining."

He rolled his eyes and leaned forward. "You just don't get it," he shook his head, "Everything about you is special. The way you smile. The way you're assertive. You don't take no for anything. You're rock solid on the outside, but on the inside your like butter. I can be take care of you, Cristina. I just don't know why you can't see that..."

As he continued his speech Cristina became in tune with what he said, she became confused as well. She didn't know if it was him she was falling for or his words. She couldn't see herself with him but she just couldn't shake this feeling that he was doing something to her.

"Have you ever been in a relationship before," he said to her.

She looked him in the eye and responded, "Yes."

"What did he do to you to make you so cold?"

"He died."

Avery stood still.

"You have to know when to love and when to ignore people."

"Are you ignoring me?"

"No."

"Do you love me?"

"No."

"Do you at least like me?"

She hesitated, "Yes."

Avery never asked why because he didn't want to hear an answer that wasn't what he wanted. They spent the night talking about things they never could before. This is a start of a perfectly good friendship.


	6. Chapter 6

The week drifted by quite easily for Meredith. She couldn't concentrate in her classes lately and she knew that created a bad problem for her especially in her senior year. She knew that she couldn't do that, so she decided to make a pact with herself and since it was the first week of November, she knew she could change it around. But like most of the pacts she makes with not only herself, but importantly Cristina, she lives by it. They've made a pact since they were little kids that on the first week of every month, preferably that Saturday, they would go out to eat. They made this pact and had kept it ever since. But Meredith was not the only one who was being affected by this change.

"Could you hurry up." Meredith eagerly said to Cristina.

"Could you hold on," Cristina snapped back.

Cristina began walking slower as she texted on her phone and every-time she would finish a text message she would run embarrassingly toward Meredith.

"Ugh," she said in disgust, "when you run it's like a cross between a robot & Jabba the Hutt."

"Real funny Mer, besides this phone is hard to use."

"Why don't you tell your boyfriend to buy you a new one."

"Owen is not my boyfriend."

"Right. Avery would be your boyfriend? Or would Avery be your mistress?"

She pierced her eyes into those of Merediths, "Shut up."

"Oh please. It's been like a month and you're telling me that you aren't dating any one of them?"

As Cristina laughed, Meredith could see her breath in the sky. They turned a corner to this little cafe near their school. "It's only been five days, and yes that's exactly what I'm saying. "

"Do you plan on dating one of them?"

"Yes," she slowly responded.

"Then what's the problem," Meredith said as she picked a table. Meredith sat down but Cristina contemplated her question.

"...He just... hasn't asked me..."

"& Who is this he we're talking about?"

Cristina stood quiet, "What about you? Don't you love Derek already?"

Meredith smiled, "Ahh, don't try to change the subject. We're talking about you."

"Okay and now we're talking about you. What's with you and Derek?"

She continued to smile, "Nothing's going on."

"Do you like him? Does he like you? I mean there must be something going on with that hot hunky piece of man."

Meredith began to laugh, "What? Yeah I like him, and yeah he likes me. But it's like, I don't know. Im not ready. I told him I don't want to be in a relationship with him or anybody else until I turn 18. It would just cancel out a lot of controversy."

"Hmm," Cristina said as she stood up, "Well if you ask me love shouldn't be scheduled for your eighteenth birthday." And with that said, Cristina left to order coffee.

Meredith looked out her window and looked at the scenery. She began to ponder about what Cristina said and considered the thought of calling Derek her boyfriend. But before she could think twice she saw a man smile. She was so blinded by this smile she looked twice. He seemed so attractive and she was so fond of this man, it took her a few minutes to realize that it was Derek, & Derek had been with another girl. Meredith sunk into her seat. Her chin was at the level of the table, she put the cafe's menu in her face so that Derek wouldn't recognize her. When he passed by her and sat down at a table visible from her's, she put the menu down. Cristina came back to the table a few minutes later.

"I didn't know you can shrink. What else can you do?"

Meredith waved her hand extremely fast, "shh," she said loudly. In a loud whisper she continued "Shut up. He could hear you!"

Cristina looked around and then leaned in slowly. She whispered back, "Whose he?"

"Derek!"

Her eyes opened wide, "He's here?"

"Yeah with some lady."

"Wi- Wi- With some lady? Please tell me it's like his mom or something."

"No. She's fairly attractive," she said hesitating with every word. First thing that came to her mind was the outrageous fact that he was cheating on her. Seconds after having this absurd thought she realized they weren't together so he wouldn't technically be cheating on her, but technically she wished he wouldn't be with anyone else.

"What does she look like," Cristina asked as she slowly sat down in her chair. .

"She looks like a pretty older girl. What else do you need to know."

"Well I can't see what she looks like, it would be too obvious. Describe her for me."

She sighed and reluctantly she held the Menu to her face. "Okay, umm.. She has long blond hair, blue eyes, pretty smile, she's wearing a red pea coat, nice legs," Meredith put the menu down. "I guess McDreamy found his McPerfect." She groaned as she put her head down.

Cristina's eyebrows rose in sorrow. She slammed her hands palm faced down on the table and sighed violently, "That's it," she yelled and viciously got up from the table. She walked toward Derek and snatched the Menu out of his hand and threw it behind her almost hitting another woman in the face with it. "Hi, Derek. How are you today," she asked. He parted his lips to answer but Cristina put her finger in his face, "Don't answer that. The perfect question is How's Meredith! You know I never really liked you, I knew you were a player from the start. You shine your pretty little smile, and flutter your pretty little eyes, and say your pretty little words and expect people to just fall for you. But I wont have that!"

"Cristina-," he pleaded, but Cristina ignored him.

"-Oh don't you 'Cristina' Me! How dare you. She's actually falling for you. That poor little girl is falling for you, & here I am on your side rooting for you and her, rooting for her to be with you,"

"Cristina," he tried again.

She ignored him, "& your here with Slutty McSlut Slut! She's not even as pretty as Meredith. Do you know how hard it is for Meredith to even like anyone! And here I am thinking Im' cold hearted when it comes to relationships. You don't deserve her – Or whats in between her– "

"Cristina," he yelled.

"What!" she yelled back.

"This is Arizona! Callie's girlfriend!."

"I don't care what her name – ...Callie!"

"Yes! Callie!"

"As– As – As in Calliope? The lady who works in my schools office? This is her girlfriend?

Arizona smiled and bashfully waved, "Hello."

Cristina bit her lip and for a second looked back at Meredith for only a moment. She looked back at Arizona and smiled, "Hi." She sighed then looked down at her feet. She took a step back, "If you don't mind, I'm going to walk away and put my foot in my own ass." As she walked away, Derek stared at Meredith who with a guilty look, looked back at him. As Cristina walked toward their table, Meredith got up from the table and ran out of the cafe. Derek stood up and watched her painfully walk away.

While walking to the hospital Lexie picked up a bundle of roses for April. April has been in and out of the hospital for the whole entire month because she April has been extremely accident prone. She smiled and walked on her way. When she turned the corner a block away from the hospital, she saw the unlawful pervert she cursed out only a month ago. When her eyes contacted his presence her instinct was to be on her tippy toes and turned around. Her heart began pumping in a rapid pace, almost knocking itself out of her ribcage. She leaned her body on the brick wall and tried to find a way of avoiding him. She figured the best way to do so would be for her to just walk straight & not turn to the hospital.

So she walked, and after a block or two she became relieved. She thought that he didn't notice her, & she thought she was in the clear... but that's what she _thought..._

"Lexie" Mark called out to her.

She bowed her head in defeat but refused to give up. She began walking faster

"Lexie," he called again. But she refused to look at him.

He thought two things. She probably didn't hear him, or she was ignoring her. He walked faster, slightly running to catch up with her. He placed her hand on her shoulders, making her turn around.

" Hey," he said as she rolled her eyes. "I was calling you."

"Oh really? I didn't notice," she said sarcastically.

"I've been calling you all week. You haven't returned any of my phone calls."

"There's a reason for that."

" Why have you been ignoring me."

Lexie squinted her eyes, "Do you hear yourself," she said in a snappish voice. She walked toward him and spoke louder. "You have my number! Which I never gave! You sent flowers to my house! I never gave you the address! You are a creep! You follow me every where! Stop bothering me!"

He had a stern look, and as she continued on with her speech, the iron seemed to have melted off of his face. It was quiet between them, and after Lexie said the words she did, she realized that she had hurt his feelings. He took a deep breathe and spoke gloomily, "Fine, if that's what you want then I wont bother you anymore." She sighed and began to walk away. "But let me say this," he said as he grabbed her upper arm firmly, "I really like you. I know I may come off as a stupid pretty boy, or as a creep like you say, but I really like you. & I will leave you alone, only if you answer one thing for me."

She sighed and with a soft, annoyed tone she replied, "What is it? What do you want me to answer?"

He pulled her close making his chest touch hers, his hands slowly trailed to the middle of her back. He leaned in and softly whispered in her ear, "Honestly tell me you don't feel the way I do. Look me in my eyes and tell me I disgust you." Softly with tender lips, he kissed the bottom of her jaw, the closest part to her neck. His lips trailed back to her ear, "Tell me, _you don't want me.._"

Her legs trembled and her lips quivered. She stared into his eyes trying so hard to create this lie which she and him knew would not be true. She bit her lip and softly traced his cheek bone with her fingers. She reached to his lips and softly kissed him with passionate lust. She whispered in his ear and asked, "_Which way to your place?_..."

Meredith was a good runner. She can run a long distance, without stopping to catch her breath. Meredith can run away from a lot of things, but as she ran home she couldn't get away from one thing: Derek. She stopped in front of the stoop to her house.

Her body was trembling to catch oxygen in this cold winter air. She sat on the last step and closed her eyes trying to concentrate on her breathing.

Concentrating on her breathing was the last thing she could think about.

"I'm glad I found you here," a familiar voice echoed around her.

A chilling surge went though her whole body, trying not to open her eyes and discover if it was a dream or not.

"You don't have to say anything," she said coldly, "I know I'm stupid."

He sat next to her on the step, but she refused to open her eyes. He smiled as he nudged her, "Do you remember what I said last week?"

"You said a lot of things."

"I said you're the only one I'd do this for."

She opened her eyes, and looked him in his. "But what does that mean Derek?"

"You're the only one I'll open up to. The one I'll tell everything to. Only if you'd let me. _Only if you would just trust me_"

She looked away from him and into the street. She inhaled strongly and exhaled the same way. "Do you remember what I told you that night, too?"

He stood quiet.

She continued, "That how Seattle was just like me? How there were only 71 days that were sunny? & How the rest were gray like me? I have so much baggage. I don't want you to open all of it and then walk away. I'm not an easy person. I can't seem to erase all the scars I have & I don't want to fall for something that's going to wake up and walk out of my life one day."

Derek tried to comprehend what she was trying to say, but was lost with the words she used. "Meredith, what are you trying to say."

She was trying to say a lot of things, but she couldn't find the guts to say it. Not at all. She sighed, and dropped her head. "I don't know," she murmured.

It became quiet, all that could be heard were cars passing and going. They shared silence for a moment. He exhaled strongly, "I was with this girl before. She took my heart and she broke it into many pieces. She left me with no goodbye, no nothing. I was hurt for a long time, so what ever you're feeling, I've felt it too. The scars that you have, will eventually heal. The pain that you feel will vanish. Tears eventually dry on their own. You just have to give it time." He grabbed her hand and placed it softly into his. "No one is going to take me away from you, _I promise._"

On the other side of Seattle, was a very high priced hotel. In front of the hotel, stopped a yellow taxi cab. A woman gracefully walks out of the cab and pays the man his money. A bell boy waits for her outside, and grabs her bags. As she walks into the hotel, her phone rings and she picks it up in one swift motion.

"Hello," she greeted the caller, "How are you Mrs. Sheppard?.. Oh yes, I've just entered the hotel. How are you feeling? That's good, and no don't tell him. I want to surprise him, if you don't mind. Alright, Mrs. Sheppard, I will do so. Have a goodnight."

As she reaches the concierge, she hangs up the phone. She takes off her sunhat and her sunglasses and places them onto her bags.

"Hello, I'd like a room please," she said.

The man smiled and typed into the computer, "Is there a room you would want?"

"Penthouse?"

"Perfect. It's vacant."

She smiled, "aah perfect."

He looked at her and with curiosity asked, "What is your name miss?"

She pulled out her Visa Card and ID card, "_Montgomery... Addison Montgomery."_


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning after arriving to Seattle, Addison sat down to speak to someone who was sent to be her assistant. Addison was an organized young lady. Never showed anyone her true purpose and always kept a poised face. She was to marry Derek after he took over his fathers company but he had something else in mind. Although he has been cut off from his fathers wealth, his mother still speaks to him when she can and still believes he can change his mind - that's where Addison comes in. Addison loves Derek. She loves the way his _brown _eyes shimmer when she wears her red dress. She loves the way his smile radiates her skin. She loves the way he pays for absolutely everything. She loves how the color green can compliment her anymore than any other color. Addison had a special eye for finding someone who was about to drive straight into incredible wealth. Though Addison did love Derek, she didn't know anything about the _real _Derek and she was the only one who was going to know that. She couldn't let anyone know because she wanted the wealth and the fame that came along with Derek Sheppard. She wanted to be his misses. To her, that was her reason to work extra hard for him. She wouldn't let him go. In her mind, she couldn't.

"What information do you have for me" She spoke to the girl coldly before she had the chance to sit down. The girl froze because she was expecting more of a greeting more than anything else. She has been working for Addison for almost a year. She finally put a face to the voice. "Well," Addison said impatiently, "Are you mute?"

The girl cleared her throat, "No, Ms. Montgomery. Well... He's been going to Seattle University for a year. He's started his second year last month. He works at a coffee shop, and lives with three men."

Addison scoffed as her eyes traveled somewhere else. "Mark & Owen. Nothing ever changes. What else?"

The girl stood quiet. Addison leaned in and spoke in a tone that began to snap. "What. Else."

The girl took a deep breath and parted her lips softly. "Well... I was with him a couple of days ago-"

"You were with him," she said cutting her off.

"Yes," she responded with a slight stutter, "I date one of his friends."

"What's his name?"

"_Her_ name is Calliope."

"Oh, okay. So continue." Addison felt stupid, but she didn't let it show.

"So as we were talking, some young asian girl comes up to him yelling saying that some other girl was falling for him and that he should feel the ashamed. When he told the girl who I was, some other young girl runs out of the coffee shop."

Addison sat back in her chair puzzled on what to do next. "This might be a little harder than I thought now that a girls involved. If you say she's young she might be easy to manipulate but if she has a headstrong best friend it might be a little difficult... What did you say your name was?"

"Arizona Robbins, Ms. Montgomery."

"Well Arizona, I hope you're ready for a little game."

XX

Lexie walked down the stoop to an unfamiliar apartment, buttoning her velvet blue vest. She catches a side glimpse of her hair and begins to pat it down frantically. As she walks toward the curb to catch a taxi, she see someone familiar to her and the closer they get the more her heart races because of how distinct they seem.

For what began to seem like brown hair, turned into dark red hair. And the round eyes she saw began to turn into an almond shape. Before she knew it she realized it was April, giving full eye contact to her. She tries to look around and find a way to avoid April but she realizes she cant.. If she turned back around, April would know something is happening. The more April walked closer, the more Lexie panicked. How was she supposed to tell one of her friends that she was sleeping with an older man? Then she realized that it was best just not to say it and act normal.

"Hey Lexie," April said through a smile.

"Hey Kepner," replied reluctantly as her vocal chords shook.

"I haven't seen you in school, what's been going on?" "Oh," she said slowly trying to come up with something fast in her mind, "I decided to do the Co-op Job."

"Really," April replied Naively, "What are you doing?"

"Volunteering… with old people," she said as her voice trembled.

"Oh, that's cool." April looked around trying to come up with small talk. She snapped her fingers "Dude you need to visit at lunch because if Avery tells me one more story about Cristina I'm gonna fl-"

"Yeah I'll visit," she said interrupting Aprils conversation and almost tripping over her own words, "But hey I gotta go and check in… with the check in.. people."

"Okay," April said meekly and took one step passed her, "Call me later tonight or whatever."

Lexie nods and takes two steps toward the curb before April speaks again. "Aye, Lexie? What are you doing on this side of town, by the way? I've never seen you here before."

She swallows hard and points to the building she came out of, "You know, volunteering." She begins to move her hands around her face in a wild manner., "Y'know. Busy, Busy Busy."

April makes an O shape with her mouth and continues to walk away. Lexie sighs as she closes her eyes tightly. And walks toward the curb. She looks around for a cab and waves down a cab. As the cab pulls up she murmurs to herself, "I have to get out of this town."

XX

On the other side of town, Meredith gets called to Calliope's office, five minutes before school ends.

"Sit here and don't move," Calliope says to her as she walk out of the room.

Quietly, hearing the clock ticks, Meredith taps her foot to the rhythm. She plays with her fingers and looks out the window trying to figure out what did she do. She tried to figure out if it's her grades. If they were slipping because her report card wasn't available to her for another week or two. Then she thought of Derek. What if her mother was coming in? What if they knew? What If he was arrested?

Suddenly the door stormed open.

"Okay this is the deal," Calliope said, "You messed up sophomore year."

"What does that have to do with this year," Meredith said defensively.

"You burned a school gym down, Meredith Grey."

She made an O shape with her mouth and laid back in her chair.

"Look, you burned a gym down, that goes on your record. With something like that on your record, it can affect what a college says about you. So the school board decided that since you're a smart girl and for this city they want to recommend you to the best doctor school here, you have to clean that off your record. The only way is to volunteer for someone. Unfortunately you can't choose. The school board sent out notices talking about you and what you did. And even more unfortunate all the places thought you were crazy so they declined. Except one lady. So you're her assistant for six weeks."

"That's easy. Who is she?"

She opens the door and a woman dressed in a black Chanel dress, Black sunhat , and black sunglasses comes in.

"Meredith," Calliope said, "Meet Addison Montgomery."


	8. Chapter 8

_Jealousy._

It leaked through her eyes though she tried hard to stop it.

Meredith confidently ignored this trait but it was the brightest color she wore.

Her mouth's facial recognition was a twitch which occurred every five minutes. She held the arm of the leather-upholstered chair tightly with one hand, leaning her weight to the other side of the chair. She placed her hand comfortably underneath her chin, while her pointer finger wandered to her cheek. Her luscious eyes followed Addison to her chair. She crossed her legs in a womanly manner and sat with a straight posture making Meredith uncomfortable, shifting her weight.

Their eyes locked with a negative force-field blocking out any kind of noise that Calliope was making. Meredith broke free from her gaze and looked at her shoes.

The very expensive shoes that Meredith knew she couldn't afford.

Addison noticed and planted a dirty smirk on her face. She jerked her ankle, making Meredith jolt as well. Her smirk grew with each movement.

Meredith's lip twitched while her eyes rose past Addison's beautifully muscular legs and then where an enormous sized diamond ring took over her left hand.

In that moment, Meredith took a deep breath as if a weight had been lifted.

But wait.

_Why was I__ jealous in the first place? _She thought to herself. She didn't know this woman and this woman didn't know her. She just simply picked her name off of a piece of paper. She smiled to herself and looked away, embarrassed. Everything she felt was all in her head... or was it?

Calliope's hand slammed against her cherry oak desk. "Jesus Christ, Meredith! Are you even listening?"

Addison jumped while Meredith merely blinked her eyes. "Let's pretend you didn't even say anything. Just start from the beginning."

Calliope was annoyed but she intended to do so. She walked to her chair and sat. In an exasperated tone she started once again. "Your life is not a joke, Meredith. In about six months, you'll be out of here. What are you going to fall back on then? Ms. Montgomery is giving you a chance and if she tells me you've messed up even once, I'll keep everything on this record of yours and make sure no teacher gives you even the best recommendation."

Meredith sat there in silence as she pursed her lips. Calliope sighed and brought her voice down immediately. "Ms. Montgomery, is there anything you'd like to say?"

"Well." She inhaled and then said with a sigh. "I've think you've covered it all. Just make sure I see you bright and early at 6 AM on Monday." She stood up from the chair and extended her hand to Meredith. Meredith looked at her hand as she put her tongue to her cheek. She eyed Calliope as she did the same to her. Reluctantly, she shook Addison's hand and watched her leave. Calliope walked up behind her and closed the door immediately after. One hand held the doorknob while the other pointed deadly to Meredith. "Fuck this up once, Meredith and I will make sure your head is on my table. Is that clear?"

She placed both hands on each arm of the leather chair. She fixed her jacket and walked one step to Calliope. "Crystal."

xx

On the other side of town laid Lexie in an unfamiliar bed. She raised the cheap blanket past her bare breasts, embarrassed. Out of breath she tries to calm down grabbing her face in a manner where she can't even believe what she has done. She sat up leaning on her elbow as she watches Mark walk from the bathroom, nude and fully exposed.

He leans over before lying in the bed to give her a forceful kiss, making her hot once again. "So tell me why couldn't we have done this at my place?"

She smiles, brightly lighting up the motel room they laid in, "I told you. April's grandmother lives there. I just couldn't have her catch me."

"No one knows about me," he asked.

"Of course they know about you," she responded slyly.

"So do they know we're an item?" She ignored his question. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her body. She walked to the bathroom as he continued to talk to her. "ARE we an Item?"

She continued to ignore him. She turned on the shower trying to drown out his questions but he remained persistent. He walked to the bathroom and stood behind her. She looked into the mirror at herself trying to avoid his chiseled jaw or bulging arms. She finally gave in looking at his reflection as he did hers.

"I don't know what we are, okay." She spoke softly feeling her stomach twist and turn in over 40 directions. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin between her neck and shoulder.

"I would want to be something with you, Lexie. I like you."

She let out a soft scoff as her lips transformed into a broken smile. She inhaled, touching one of his hands and caressing it softly. "I just… I just don't want people to talk. I'm a junior in high school and you're a freshman in college. I just don't want people to get the wrong Idea."

"That a 17 year old is sleeping with a 20 year old guy? That's not a big age difference."

She turned around and looked him in the eyes while softly touching his face. "I'm sixteen, Mark. In a few months I'll be 17 and in a couple of months you'll be 21."

He tensed up, trying to hide his inner insecurity but he couldn't understand because he was already an adult. "What are you trying to say?"

He couldn't understand why two people couldn't be together no matter the age. He was more free minded than other people and this is what Lexie loved. She knew other people wouldn't be so accepting. Including Meredith. "I'm just saying that I'm _scared_."

He grabbed her hand and kissed her wrists, "_S__o am I__..__._"


	9. Chapter 9

Cristina's sister always called her an introvert. She had a face of stone but always kept her feelings to herself. She never went out of bounds for anything because she believed in patience. She believed in fate as much as the next person but that is one thing she would keep to herself. Despite popular belief, Cristina loathed the art of argument. She disliked it because of how she became once she argued; she would build up all of this anger that it would lead to tears in her eyes. It wouldn't exactly mean that she was hurt or sad but more so there was so much anger fueled within her. So she refused to say anything to anyone. She would keep things to herself until it ate her up inside and when it did she could do only one thing – clean.

After school, Cristina didn't even wait for Meredith like she usually did because she didn't want to explain to her how she felt. Instead, she went straight home and re-arranged her living room. Her mother worked very much and as well did her father. They were oblivious to the small changes that would occur in their home and even when they did notice they would let Cristina do what she wanted so she did this without hesitating. She vacuumed rugs, and hand washed the hard-wood floors. She had an expensive dishwasher but washed each dish separately giving them a dazzling shine. The sun went down and Cristina stayed hard at work. The last thing on her agenda was to wash all of her own clothes.

She knew she could have washed her clothes at home but Cristina loved Seattle at night. She packed her laundry bags and headed to a local laundry mat three blocks away. She chose this particular place because of the lights outside of the window. It was in a direct view of breathtaking blue lights that guided the longest bridge in all of Washington. All she wanted to do was stare at the wonderful lights.

Immediately after arriving, she separated her clothes by color and then put them into three separate washing machines; one for colors, one for whites, and one for _delicate._

She put in six quarters, two in each slot, and pressed go for each machine. There she stood, sulking while a machine washed all of her clothes. She sat on the table where people would normally fold their clothes and swung her legs.

Cristina felt weird because she had never felt this way for a boy. Or would she have to remember that he was a man? Owen made her feel things and for the first time she didn't like it at all. Cristina felt smitten because for once in her life someone took the time to know her. They took the time to understand who Cristina was and for once it wasn't a girl and it wasn't two boys fighting over someone else. It was a man who made her feel seen; he made her feel like a person. She had never had that before.

She had spent a beautiful night talking with him and being around him and he even decided they should go on a date. Though she didn't exactly agree to it, she got dressed for the occasion. Wore a nice blue dress with comfortable flats and she waited…

…_but he never came. _

This made Cristina mad but more importantly broken hearted. '_So this is what it feels like to be hurt '_, she asked herself. She didn't like this feeling and she never wanted to wish this upon anyone. Immediately she thought of Avery and how she had been stringing him along. She felt like karma was giving her a wakeup call. She took out her phone and looked through the contacts and very quickly she clicked on Avery's name.

She stared at the key pad and tried to figure something out.

_I'm at the laundry mat.  
>I know I haven't been hanging out with you lately. I'm sorry.<br>Can you meet me? _

Before she could send it she heard a familiar voice.

"Cristina?"

She looked up and quickly her doe eyes transformed to eager, paranoid ones.

Closing her phone, her back tensed. "Owen, what are you doing here?"

He raised an army bag filled with dirty laundry. Her mouth curved to the side while she put her hands in her pockets. "You?" He asked trying to fill the air with something.

She pointed forward and aimed toward her washing machines. His mouth formed into an O shape. "Doesn't your building have laundry machines?" She knew this because when Izzie was fourteen , her mother divorced Izzie's father. They downgraded from an enormous house with 7 bedrooms to just a two bedroom apartment. Izzie had this obsession with fabric softener so she would always hang out in the laundry room. Cristina was never close to Izzie in the way Izzie would like, but Izzie grew fond of Meredith and that was Cristina's person. Everywhere she went Cristina went. Now she's glad that she had come in handy.

"Uh… yeah but they don't have that blue, nice smelling softener that I like."

He lied. This is something Cristina knew so she lowered her head for a moment only to stop the smile that was surfacing. What she didn't know is that he had been watching Cristina from a distance. Owen was never good at relationships; he didn't know how to start them, to handle them but one thing he knew was how to end them. In his head, he can see how this relationship would go and how he would screw it up. That night of their planned date he sat on his couch in trousers and a nice shirt, kicking himself for not going. But he didn't want to ruin something so beautiful. _He didn't want to ruin her. _

Every day after class, he would find himself in front of her school, trying to musk the courage in apologizing but the stories that Derek relayed to him made him nervous. This day he saw her leave school and go home and something told him that she was hurt particularly by what he had done. He sat at the coffee shop picking at a muffin and when he was finally about to leave he saw her dragging a huge shopping cart filled with clothes. He left the coffee shop and ran straight home. Looked through his clothes and found decent clothing and put it in a laundry bag. He needed an excuse to see her, and he did.

He looked at the floor while his thumb grazed over his chin and let out a mere chuckle. "Actually that's not why I'm here."

"I bet," she said sarcastically. His eyes met her sarcasm and with the intensity straining from them she jumped back, intimidated.

"I uh.." he meant to confess. He meant to tell her everything he felt and everything he did but he was sidetracked by something so beautiful. The pearly white lights that covered the Seattle bridge illuminated and kept Owen in awe. His eyes gazed above Cristina and stared out the window. Cristina looked behind herself to see what he had been staring at and smiled to herself realizing he had seen something that made her happy.

"Yeah. It's the reason why I come here."

"Why haven't I seen the bridge like that before?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders, "You know, I don't know. It's like you have to look at the bridge from a certain angle or you're just not interested in it. I've been coming here for such a long time and every time it looks more stunning than the first."

His lips disconnected from each other as he folded his arms, "Yeah.. I know what you mean."

He meant to confess in that moment, and Cristina knew why he had come. In her eyes he knew that through all the things he had done it came down to one thing: Cristina was different. The corners of his mouth rose as he looked at her and realized this conclusion. Her head jerked back in repulsion of how creepy he looked but something told her it was okay.

_He was okay. _


	10. Chapter 10

Fiddling with his phone, Avery walked along side of April. On the sidewalk they strolled while April examined the midnight blue sky that twinkled above them. Cars pass by and other conversations pass along, but the two remained silent.

This worried April because she knew herself the very best. She looked at him and saw a blank facial expression and immediately felt pressure. His rock solid face lurking around the streets, and his mind wandered somewhere else giving her an overwhelming feeling to ramble. And in her mind she didn't want to but her mind worked slower than her mouth did.

"You know Lexie's been acting really weird lately." Her face looked forward, looking from the corner of her eye at him as she placed her hands in her jacket's pocket. A wandering grunt came from Avery's mouth, gaining a transmission from his ever so busy mind.

"I- I mean have you seen her at school because I haven't. I saw her at my grandparent's building and she was all twitchy and nervous like someone I know but I just can't put my finger on it." She shrugged her shoulders while her eyes blinked a few times. A sigh escaped his body as her annoying voice continued to speak.

Another unresponsive grunt came from him as he unlocked his phone like he had been doing the whole entire night. He looked at the text message that was last sent by Cristina. Inside his heart was full and it made him have hoped that one day they could be together.

'_I'm Sorry,' _it had said. She wanted to be with him and in his mind he knew it.

She told him to meet her at the laundry mat and with no hesitation he did. April was at his house studying for mid-winter finals at the time so she tagged along.

If only he knew that April has been looking at him the same way he had for Cristina for so long. But she was a friend nonetheless which meant that she would protect his heart from anything.

She glanced at the phone to see Cristina's number as he locked it once again.

She let out a deep sigh and looked up to him. "You're sulking over Cristina again, aren't you?" This time instead of an unresponsive grunt she received a roll from the eyes. She smirked slightly knowing she was getting something from him.

"I don't get why. All she is, is mean to you and then you want more. I honestly think this is worse than an abusive relationship. All you do is mope around after she disappears for days until she gains contact with you. At least be a man about it."

Coming from his curved upward lips came a scoff. "You don't get it, April."

"Ah, but I do," she chimed in finally receiving a few words from him. She nudged him playfully as his face continued to be as solid as brick.

He unlocked his phone one more time and April watched. Her back tensed along with her face. Her voice escalated, "You know what?—"

Glancing at a nearby Laundry Mat she was ready to curse Avery out, but something stopped her. She recognized black curly locks which made her give the laundry mat a stern look. In front of her was an older, red haired man. She quickly looked at Avery who was still buried into his text messages and obviously stared into the Laundry Mat again. Her eyes opened wide and a stutter came from within her as she grabbed his jacket directing him to the other side of the street. "I think we should go this way."

Hearing her nervous laugh he looked up not noticing where they were. He followed along with her until he saw the street signs. "No, I have to go this way," he said naively.

Slipping in between her fingers was Avery. Unsuccessfully she grabbed his jacket and when she couldn't in the middle of the street she stood in front of him legs and arms open wide. "You shouldn't do that."

He stopped in front of her in a vacant street, raising an eyebrow at the overzealous April Kepner. "I have to go into the laundry mat. Cristina is waiting for me."

Even though he was going to have to see her, April wasn't going down without a fight. "Do you have to go to that laundry mat? I-I-I mean are you sure she's waiting for you because d-d-don't be a creep and try to surprise her. I mean be a man for once, Avery."

He smiled uncomfortably, "Remember when we had that conversation about when you're being a creeper? That's useful now."

He rolled his eyes while walking around her and April's heart clutched itself. Her eyes closed while shouting, "Avery Don't." But closing her eyes didn't change anything for she still heard the scraping of his feet. She slowly opened her eyes watching the heart of a young boy slowly crack.

His shoulders were low as she walked to him. She observed his tongue in his cheek and the pain in his eyes. He watched Cristina smile and laugh with Owen, more than she ever did with Meredith or her other friends or even with him.

"I didn't want you to see, I'm sorry Avery," She said low voice almost like as if she was the one to blame.

"It's okay," he said in a raspy tone walking away from both the laundry mat and April. "You were just being a friend."

XX

The next afternoon the collegiate bell rang. Derek walked out of his class, impatient to wait for Meredith.

Things have been going well with them; at least he can only imagine form his part they were. It was starting to get serious though he tried to evade the feelings. He couldn't sleep without seeing her or speaking to her, everything he looks at or touched reminds him of her but still he tried to keep his distance.

Though his feelings grew each day, he couldn't help but think about his family back home. He remembers the night he left packing everything and sneaking into Mark's truck. He ran away from his mother and father at 18 because he didn't want to be like them.

He didn't want to run a company he didn't love and just because he was the sole heir to the company didn't mean that he should take it. He thought to himself often about what kind of man would he mold out to be if he hadn't met Meredith.

A smile came to his face thinking of the change she had brought to him but the smile like all things slowly withered away as he saw a fire red haired girl waiting in front of a limo.

She smirked to him as she removed her long black gloves. He clutched onto his book bag staring at her with distaste. She removed her black sun glasses and pouted her lips. "Why the long face, _Bunny_?"

"I am not your Bunny, Addison. Why don't you get back on the very expensive plane you were on and go back to your extremely wealthy parents, Okay?"

Her head rose as she let out a quick laugh only to look back at him with an almost serious face. "Mommy and Daddy are in Cabo. I decided to stay with my future in-law-parents. You should call them sometime soon. They miss you, Bunny"

"No, they do not miss me," he retorted. He stepped one step closer to her and she knew that the steam was rising from his ears. She cocked her head to the side, pursing her lips, teasing him which upset him even more. "They miss what they wanted me to be. They had sex, produced a baby only so that when he dies I could be the carbon copy of him. And For the last time I am not your bunny and we won't be getting married! Get over it."

Exasperated she put her hands on her hips, "Seriously Derek, I don't understand what the big deal is. He wants you to run the company when he dies, I honestly don't see that happening anytime soon. Why won't you take the job? Money makes everyone happy, I mean isn't that why you're going to school anyway?"

"I don't know what they teach you in Bitch school, but leave me and my friends alone, Addison. If I wanted a dimwitted, incompetent hussy as my wife I would have found you but I didn't. So leave me, my family and their money alone."

She chuckled once as she moved her hair out of her face. Derek's eyes screamed rage as he stared her down. She licked her lips and stepped once closer to him having her chest against his. She leaned in a little closer only so that her lips were close to his ear. In a surprised second she grabbed his belt buckle and yanked it towards her.

"Listen to me, and listen carefully Derek Sheppard. It seems to me like you've forgotten about who I am. I think you need to remember that I can fuck up your whole future and make you crawl on your knees begging for me in a minute. But I'm not going to do that because I am going to take my sweet time ruining your life so that you can see what kind of bitch they made me in _Bitch School_. I will not leave, and you will not get rid of me that easily until I've ruined everything in your life making you run back to your parents. I've got you by the balls and you don't even know it yet. I will marry you Derek Sheppard. Do not mess with me."

She let go and placed her sunglasses on watching him just stare at her, hating her with every breath that he took. She smiled because it was beginning to be more fun than she imagined. She opened the car door and closed it, lowering the window. "I'll be in touch," she said.

Addison Montgomery, always having the last word and she knew she would have the last laugh. One way or another.


	11. Chapter 11

Cristina will always be right . . . at least in her head that is. She stormed through the park looking for Avery, someone who wouldn't return her calls, only so she could tell him how bad of a friend he was. She didn't realize that it was her who needed to take some friend lessons.

Her hair flew in the air as she walked like a savage, scanning the vicinity for this light eyed boy. She had called him the night before wanting to talk to him but he wouldn't answer. She texted him that night and he never replied back. She walked to his house to see if he was asleep but he was awake and this she knew because all of his bedroom lights were on. He couldn't sleep in the light but couldn't sleep in the dark either and so he had a blue nightlight that almost lit up his whole entire room. She texted him once more as she looked up to his room to see an orange lighting in his room. She saw him walk to his phone through the window, see her text, and ignore it. She was furious but she could not do much because it was late so she saved her anger for the next day.

With her hands balled in fists and spirit animal of a lion she looked. She walked near the garden but he was not there and she continued to look until she saw him in the dog park.

"Hey," she said strongly walking to him. He knew her voice and he slid his head an inch by habit but kept poise as he ignored her. He had taken the morning to walk his many dogs because he needed to clear his head. They woke him up with kisses and in his mind they were the only females who would ever love him.

Hearing her yell to him made him upset more than anything. He grasped the leashes tighter with every moment she came near. He wished at the moment he could leave but one of his dogs were doing their business and he felt it was very rude to pull them. He wouldn't want that to happen to him while he was on the toilet.

"Avery," she finally said tired of _mad searching _for him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and immediately he shrugged her off. She noticed this and let out a hard sigh. "What is wrong with you today? You've been acting weird since last night. You haven't answered my calls, you've been ignoring my texts, what the hell is your problem?"

He gritted his teeth because she didn't know. He dug into his pocket and fed each one of his dogs a treat, quietly ignoring her.

"What's your problem, Avery? I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you so serious?"

It didn't take him long to be fed up. Slowly without trying to look like a fool he maneuvered the dog leashes so that he could turn around. With anger in his eyes he finally spoke. "Oh I'm sorry. It's probably because I'm not in a Laundry Mat talking to some Red Haired Lucky Charms Guy."

She felt the chattering cold with each word he spoke finally feeling shame in what she had done. Her voice lowered levels as she responded, "How did you know about that?"

"I guess you don't check your phone, Cristina, as much as I did. You sent me a text to meet you at the Laundry Mat near your house. I was there and ironically enough so was Carrot Top."

"No one told you to be there, Avery! My phone made a mistake! You should have waited for my reply before you came! You're always being a creep."

"Oh what so know you're upset? I didn't do anything wrong. You cannot be angry that I'm angry with you. You aren't going to change this on me, Cristina." His jaw clenched as he daringly looked into her eyes. "If you didn't want to be with me then you should have said so, Cristina. All I wanted was to get to know you. You're pulling me along. All I ever wanted was to be your friend."

Cristina thought she was always right… and standing in the park alone she didn't know what was happening. She didn't know what was right anymore.

XX

The same morning Meredith woke up quite early embracing every moment she had before she worked for the fiery maiden. She headed downstairs to the kitchen because her mouth felt quite dry. Sitting in the kitchen was Lexie cutting Bananas into her bowl before pouring in her cereal. Meredith wished her good morning and suddenly a cold sweat began to commence for Lexie. She poured her cereal and her milk while suspiciously watching Meredith.

Meredith poured herself a cup of orange juice as she smiled to Lexie and then double glancing at her to see the suspicious look on her face. "Are you okay Lex? You look really pale."

Her doe eyes opened, hand shaking making the spoon clank against the bowl. Quickly she let the spoon go and placed her hands on her lap, chewing slowly. "Me? Pale," She asked swallowing hard, "It's just probably the cold. You know how I get."

"Hmm," Meredith grunted finally taking a sip of her juice, "You can always turn the heat on… I don't mind." Lexie nodded uncomfortably before Meredith grabbed herself a bowl. She grabbed a banana and sliced it into the bottom of her bowl. "Hey," she said while a thought popped into her head, "How's school going? I don't see you with April and Avery at lunch anymore. Is everything going okay?"

Mouth half open, Lexie tried to think of something clever. She felt the knot in her throat expand as Meredith poured her cereal. She swallowed hard again, "Oh yeah.. I haven't been in school much because I-got-I-got a Co-op Job."

She mashed her cereal around with the milk listening to Lexie and hearing the Co-op Meredith felt relieved, "Really? Me too! What do you have to work at?"

A nervous chuckle which was a cross between a witch and a chipmunk seeped through Lexie's mouth. "Oh really is that right," she looked down with worry in her eyebrows. Stuttering she responded, "I work with old p-people."

"That's good. I work for some tall expensive tramp with her red hair. I don't know but something about her rubs me the wrong way. I start work to—"

Meredith couldn't finish because she guilt ate Lexie alive. She was a girl who was on top of her grades always and being a junior in high school made things worse because she should be preparing for her future but she just couldn't with Mark. She wanted everything in that moment and he was a drug she couldn't resist. Her heart raced being in the same kitchen with her sister, someone who always tells her everything. She hopped out of the kitchen chair and rain upstairs.

"Hey," Meredith shouted to her, "Where you going?"

"I have class today," she responded rather quickly.

Hearing the slam of her door Meredith pouted. "But its Sunday," She murmured to herself mixing her cereal around.


End file.
